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THE 



SAINTS' EVERLASTING REST. 



REV. RICHARD BAXTER. 

ABRIDGED BY 

BENJAMIN FAWCETT, A. M. 



AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 



THOMAS ERSKINE, Esq. 

ADVOCATE, 

Author of Remarks on the Internal Evidence for the Truth of Revealed Religion, 



BOSTON: 

PERKINS & MARVIN. NEW YORK: JONATHAN LEAVITT. 
PHILADELPHIA: FRENCH & PERKINS. 

1833. 



3+fc 



OIK 
Mrs. Hennen Jennings 
April 26, 1933 



CONTENTS 



Page. 
Introductory Essay, . ■ .. . . 5 

Dedication, 37 

Compiler's Preface, . .39 

CHAP. I. The Introduction to the Work, with some account 

of the Nature of the Saints' Rest, ..... 53 

f* CHAP. II. The great Preparatives to the Saints' Rest, , 73 

n ^ CHAP. III. The Excellencies of the Saints' Rest, . . 84 

m CHAP. IV". The Character of the Persons for whom this 

Rest is designed, 104 

CHAP. V. The greatmisery of those who lose the Saints' Rest, 124 

CHAP. VI. The misery of those, who, besides losing the 
Saints' Rest, lose the enjoyments of time, and suffer the 
torments of Hell, 141 

CHAP. VII. The necessity of diligently seeking the Saints' 

Rest, 158 

CHAP. VIII. How to discern our title to the Saints' Rest, . 182 

CHAP. IX. The duty of the people of God to excite others 

to seek this Rest, . . , . . . . .206 



IV CONTENTS. 

CHAP. X. The Saints' Rest is not to be expected on earth, 230 

CHAP. XL The importance of leading a heavenly life upon 

earth, 253 

CHAP. XII. Directions how to lead a heavenly life upon 

earth, 277 

CHAP. XIII. The Nature of heavenly Contemplation; with 

the Time, Place, and Temper, fittest for it, . . . 301 

CHAP. XIV. What use heavenly Contemplation makes of 

Consideration. Affections, Soliloquy, and Prayer, . . 317 

CHAP. XV. Heavenly Contemplation assisted by 'sensible 

Objects, and guarded against a treacherous Heart, . . 337 

CHAP. XVI. Heavenly Contemplation exemplified, and the 

whole Work concluded, 358 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



We do not arrogate to ourselves so much as to sup- 
pose, that our commendation can add any thing to 
the authority of such a name as that of Richard 
Baxter. It is not to commend him, but to render 
our own series of practical divinity more complete, 
that we introduce his Saints' Everlasting Rest to 
our readers. He belonged to a class of men, whose 
characters and genius, now universally venerated, seem 
to have been most peculiarly adapted, by Divine 
Providence, to the circumstances of their age and 
country. We do not speak only of those who partook 
in Baxter's views of ecclesiastical polity ; but of those 
who, under any name, maintained the cause of truth 
and liberty, during the eventful period of the seven- 
teenth century. They were made of the same firm 
stuff with the WicklifFs, and the Luthers, and the 
Knoxes, and the Cranmers, and the Latimers, of a 
former age. They formed a distinguished division 
of the same glorious army of reformation ; they en- 
countered similar obstacles, and they were directed} 
2 



VI 



and supported, and animated, by the same spirit. 
The) 7 were the true and enlightened crusaders, who, 
with all the zeal and courage which conducted their 
chivalrous ancestors to the earthly Jerusalem, fought 
their way to the heavenly city ; and rescuing, by their 
sufferings and by their labors, the key of knowledge 
from the unworthy hands in which it had long lain 
rusted and misused, generously left it as a rich in- 
heritance to all coming generations. They speak 
with the solemn dignity of martyrs. They seem to 
feel the importance of their theme, and the perpetual 
presence of Him who is the great subject of it. 
There are only two things which they seem to con- 
sider as realities, the favor of God, and the enmity of 
God ; and only two parties in the universe to choose 
between, the party of God, and the party of his ad- 
versaries. Hence that heroic and noble tone, which 
marks their lives and their writings. They had 
chosen their side, and they knew that it was worthy of 
all they could do or suffer for it. 

They were born in the midst of conflicts civil and 
religious ; and as they grew up, their ears heard no 
other sounds than those of defiance and controversy. 
Thus life was to them, in fact and reality, that war- 
fare, which is to many of us only its rhetorical em- 
blem. To this is to be attributed that severity of 
rebuke, and sternness of denunciation, which we are 
sometimes almost sorry to meet with in their expos- 
tulations. But they were obliged to speak loud, in 
order to be heard in those troublous days. They 
were trained in the language of strife, as their mother 
tongue ; and they used that language even in deliver- 



Vll 



Ing the message of peace. But they did deliver the 
message of peace, they declared the way of salvation, 
and they were highly honored, and invincibly sup- 
ported by Him who sent them. 

The agitated state of surrounding circumstances 
gave them continual proof of the instability of all 
things temporal ; and inculcated on them the neces- 
sity of seeking a happiness which might be indepen- 
dent of external things. They thus practically learned 
the vanity and nothingness of life, except in its relation 
to eternity ; and they declared to their fellow-crea- 
tures the mysteries of the kingdom of God, with the 
tone of men who knew that the lightest word which 
they spoke, outweighed in the balance of reason, as 
well as of the sanctuary, the value of all earth's plans, 
and politics, and interests. They were upon high and 
firm ground. They stood in the midst of that tem- 
pestuous ocean, secure on the Rock of Ages ; and as 
they uttered to those around them their invitations, or 
remonstrances, or consolations, they thought not of the 
tastes but of the necessities of men — they thought only 
of the difference between being lost and being saved, 
and they cried aloud, and spared not. 

There is no doubt a great variety of thought, and 
feeling) and expression, to be met with in the theo- 
logical writers of that class ; but deep and solemn 
seriousness is the common character of them all. 
They seem to have felt much. Religion was not al- 
lowed to remain as an unused theory in their heads ; 
they were forced to live on it as their food, and to 
have recourse to it as their only strength and comfort. 
Hence their thoughts are never given as abstract 



V1L1 

views ; they are always deeply impregnated with sea-* 
timent. Their style reminds us of the light which 
streams through the stained and storied windows of an 
ancient cathedral. It is not light merely, but light 
modified by the rich hues, and the quaint forms, and 
the various incidents of the pictured medium through 
which it passes. So these venerable worthies do not 
give us merely ideas, but ideas colored by the deep 
affections of their own hearts ; they do not merely 
give us truth, but truth in its historical application to 
the various struggles, and difficulties, and dejections of 
their strangely chequered lives. This gives a great 
interest to their writings. They are real men, and 
not books that we are conversing with. And the 
peace, and the strength, and the hope, which they 
describe, are not the fictions of fancy, but the positive 
and substantial effects of the knowledge of God on 
their own minds. They are thus not merely way- 
marks to direct our journeyings ; they seem them- 
selves pilgrims travelling on the same road, and en- 
couraging us to keep pace w 7 ith them. In their books, 
they seem thus still to journey, still to combat ; but O 
let us think of the bright reality ! — their contests are 
past, their labors are over ; they have fought the good 
fight, and they are now at rest, made perfect in Christ 
Jesus. They are joined to that cloud of witnesses, of 
whom the world was not worthy ; and their names are 
inscribed in the rolls of heaven ; yet not for their 
own glory, but for the glory of him who washed them 
from their sins in his own blood, and whose strength 
was made perfect in their weakness. 

These were the great men of England, and ta 



IX 

them, under God, is England indebted for much 
of that which is valuable in her public institutions, 
and in the character of her people. They were, 
indeed, a noble army ; they were born from above to 
be the combatants for truth ; they were placed in 
the gap, and they held their ground, or fell at their 
posts. 

In this army Richard Baxter was a standard- 
bearer. He labored much, as well in preaching as 
in writing; and with an abundant blessing on both. 
He had all the high mental qualities of his class in 
perfection. His mind is inexhaustible, and vigor- 
ous, and vivacious, to an extraordinary degree. He 
seizes irresistibly on the attention, and carries it 
along with him ; and we assuredly do not know any 
author who can be compared with him, for the power 
with which he brings his reader directly face to 
face, with death, and judgment, and eternity ; and 
compels him to look upon them, and converse with 
them. He is himself most deeply serious, and the 
holy solemnity of his own soul seems to envelope 
the reader, as with the air of a temple. But on 
such a subject praise is superfluous, as it is easy 5 
and we shall rather beg the attention of our readers 
to some observations on his manner of stating divine 
truth, and on the interesting subject of the work 
before us. 

In the first place, then, there is perhaps, too little 
appearance of compassion, and too much detail in his 
descriptions of the punishments after death. The 
general idea is all that is given in Scripture, and 
even that is rarely insisted on, except by our Lord 
2* 



himself; as if such a fearful denunciation could only 
have its right effect, when pronounced by the lips of 
him who is love itself; It is not to the statement 
of the doctrine that we object; but to the manner 
of doing it. Whatever men may think or feel on 
the subject, there can be no doubt, that the doctrine 
does stand in Scripture, and assuredly it does not 
stand there in vain. We must leave the difficulties 
with God. The light of the last day will dispel all 
darkness. In the mean time, it must be stated, 
but let it be stated in Scripture language. Let not 
man use his own words, and far less his own fancy, 
in describing the future punishments of the impeni- 
tent ; and above all, let him not speak of them as 
one at ease ; and let him not describe God as taking 
pleasure in the infliction. There can be no real ad- 
vantage gained by agitating the imagination on such 
a subject. Even fear, to be useful, ought to have 
some calmness in it. And it ought to be remem- 
bered, that men are not made Christians by terror, 
but by love. It is the genial ray of the Sun of 
Righteousness, and not the storm of the divine wrath, 
which compels the sinner to lay down the weapons 
of his rebellion. The steady conviction that misery, 
intolerable, must be for ever connected with reject- 
ing the offered mercy of God, is the true impression 
produced by the declarations of the Bible on this 
matter ; and this is a much more efficient and prac- 
tically useful principle, than the terrors of an im- 
agination worked up by a picture of the secrets of 
that prison-house. Our gracious Master, who suf- 
fered in our stead, and whose deep, and solemn, and 



XI 

tender interests in our welfare, could not be doubted, 
did, indeed, in his discourses, always set before men 
life and death, as the solemn alternatives of their 
choice ; but in his mouth it is still the language of 
affectionate, though urgent persuasion ; and he does 
not lift the veil, except in the parable of the rich 
man and Lazarus ; nor terrify the fancy, nor represent 
God as taking pleasure in the misery of his creatures. 
He does not even represent this punishment so much 
under the form of a positive infliction, as of the na- 
tural result of the operation of evil principles on the 
soul. " Their worm dieth not, their fire is not 
quenched." Whose ? Their own — the worm and 
fire within them. Thus also, in other parts of 
Scripture, the state of the wicked is represented as 
the reaping of what they had sown, as eating of the 
fruit of their own way, and being filled with their 
own devices. Gal. vi. 7, 8. Prov. iii. 31. And 
in Psalm Ixxxi. punishment is described thus, " He 
gave them up to their own hearts' lusts." The 
compassion of God for the miseries which sinners 
bring upon themselves, is also often strongly marked 
by the Bible : for example, in the tears shed by our 
Lord over the bloody city ; in the divine tenderness 
exhibited through the whole course of that remark- 
able history contained in the book of Jonah ; and in 
the duties of a watchman described in Ezekiel xxxiii. 
" I have no pleasure, saith the Lord, in the death 
of him that dieth ; wherefore turn ye and live." The 
threatenings of God are all expressions of love. 
They are the descriptions of the misery of being 
strangers to God ; given for this very purpose, that 



xii 

we may be persuaded* to come into his family, and 
to become fellow-citizens with the saints, and mem- 
bers of the household of faith. God seemed to 
say in these threatenings, " I cannot bear to lose 
you, or that you should lose such happiness ; be- 
hold and see what you are rushing into — a soul at 
enmity with me must be miserable ; come then, and 
be my friend, and my child." Detailed and pro- 
longed descriptions of future misery seemed calcula- 
ted to injure our view of the Divine character ; or to 
agitate the imagination ; or, like violent stimulants to 
the bodily constitution, to lose their effect, and to 
deaden the sensibilities to calmer exhibitions of the 
truth. 

But there is another and a more important charge 
which has been brought against the writings of this 
great and good man. It is alleged that he does 
not always mark with sufficient clearness, the dis- 
tinction between the work of God, and the work of 
man, and that he even sometimes gives the idea, 
that we are called on to work out our own pardon, 
as well as our own salvation or spiritual healing. 
The close appeals which he so frequently makes to 
the consciences of his readers, may, perhaps, in some 
degree, have given rise to this accusation. A wri- 
ter who presses so strongly as Baxter does, the ne- 
cessity of a change of heart and character in the 
Christian, needs great caution and accuracy of lan- 
guage, in order to avoid expressions which may 
seem to attribute too much, in the work of salvation, 
to human effort. Just as a writer, whose great 
theme is the free grace of the Gospel, would need 



Xm 

to be very much on his guard, if he would avoid 
the charge of Antinomianism. The nature of the 
subject treated on in the book before us, may also 
have assisted in giving this tone to his instructions. 
He connects pardon and everlasting rest so much to- 
gether, that he sees them, and speaks of them as if 
they were one and the same thing. Now, though 
in truth they are parts of the same grand plan, yet 
the one is the commencement, and the other is the 
consummation of the plan — and the language which 
is suited to the one is not always suited to the other. 
Pardon is the starting point of the Christian course. 
The saints' rest is the goal. Pardon precedes the 
race, the saints' rest crowns it. The pardon is 
universally and freely proclaimed to all, without mo- 
ney and without price, without respect to character 
or condition, as the recompense of the atoning sa- 
crifice of Christ. To this pardon man cannot add, 
and from it he cannot detract ; though he may bar 
himself from the benefit of it by refusing it ad- 
mission into his heart. Whereas the saints' rest 
is entirely dependent on character : it is, in fact, only 
another name for a character conformed to the will 
of God. It is, in a sense, the natural reward of dili- 
gence in the cultivation of those principles which are 
implanted by a belief of the pardon. Diligence, 
therefore, and exertion, ought to be strenuously in- 
sisted on in pursuit of the saints' rest ; but we 
must beware of thinking such thoughts, or using 
such language with regard to the pardon. By do- 
ing so, we shall obscure our views both of the love 
of God, and of the evil of sin. Pardon is the 



XIV 



medicine, the saints' rest is the cure accomplished s 
it is salvation perfected, it is spiritual health. We 
ought not then to think of laboring for pardon; for 
it is proclaimed as a thing already past and recorded 
in heaven ; but we ought to labor for the saints' 
rest; for it is a thing future, and depends on the 
perfection of principles which are perfected by la- 
bor. We ought not to labor for pardon, for it 
is a medicine already prepared, and freely bestowed, 
by the great physician of souls ; but we ought to 
labor for spiritual health, in which the saints' rest 
consists, by continual application to the medicine, 
and by using the Spirit, and the strength which it 
supplies to support us, amidst the events which be- 
fal us, and the duties which we are called to fulfil. 

Now, though we are well persuaded, that all the 
parts of divine truth are so linked together, that if 
one part is taught to the soul by the Spirit of God, 
all the other parts will certainly follow ; and that, 
therefore, a partial obscurity or indistinctness of 
statement, in the midst of much surrounding light, 
and perspicuity, and power, may not materially im- 
pede the progress of a heart towards God ; yet we 
do regret that a greater prominency is not given in 
Baxter's Works to the doctrine of justification by 
faith ; because the peace of the mind, and the sta- 
bility of its hopes, and the ardor and confidence of 
its love, must depend on the degree of fulness 
with which it can look on God as a Father, who 
hath forgiven all its iniquities, on a ground alto- 
gether independent of its own deservings. 



XV 



This doctrine is in truth the great centre of the 
Christian system, which gives to all the other parts 
their symmetry and just proportion. It, in fact, con- 
tains all the rest, and we only know them truly, 
when we know them in relation to it. This doc- 
trine it is which constitutes the grand difference be- 
tween the religion of God, and all the religions in- 
vented by men. Human systems always place par- 
don, or the divine favor, at the end of the race ; 
they would remove condemnation by just making 
men cease from sinning. Whereas God makes men 
cease from sinning, by first removing the condem- 
nation. This is a stumbling-block to the world, and 
its philosophers. They argue, that as sin is the 
root from which the condemnation sprung, it would 
be more reasonable to lay the axe to it, than merely 
to lop the bitter fruit that has sprung from it — and 
that it is unwise to enfeeble the motives of exer- 
tion, by giving that in possession which ought to be 
reserved as the excitement and reward of diligence 
and obedience. 

But the difficulty lies not in the thing itself, but 
in their ignorance of the signification of the terms 
employed. They do not know the meaning of sin, 
or punishment, or obedience, or reward. They con- 
sider them merely as external things. If we wish a 
porter to go a mile for us, we make much surer of 
his going, by promising him half-a-crown on his 
return, than by paying him beforehand. But if we 
wish to gain the confidence and affection of a man 
who has prejudices against us, we must begin by 
substantially proving to him that he may rely on our 



XVI 

friendship and services. Now God desires and re- 
quires our confidence and affection. Nothing short 
of this can satisfy Him. It is His great command- 
ment, that we should love him with all the faculties 
of our being ; and without this love, the most punc- 
tual external conformity to His external command- 
ments, is a mere mockery and delusion. He is 
not obeyed by our going the mile, but by our go- 
ing it out of love to Him. He, therefore, begins 
not merely by holding out to us a future happiness, 
though he does that too, but by proving himself 
worthy of all our confidence, and all our affection. 
Obedience then consists in active love. And this 
love can only proceed from a sense of God's excel- 
lence and amiableness in general, and of his favor 
in relation to ourselves. Without this belief in a 
higher or lower degree, of his favorable regard to- 
wards ourselves, there may be a solemn and distant 
respect, but there can be no filial love, and there- 
fore no full obedience. 

We are persuaded, that an erroneous view of the 
object of the ten commandments, has misled many 
as to the nature and extent of religious duty, in this 
respect particularly. It is true, that the ten com- 
mandments were given by God's voice from heaven ; 
and it is also true, that in the last of them the Legis- 
lator claims to himself the sovereignty over the 
thoughts and intents of the heart, as well as over the 
act of the hand, or the word of the lip ; but yet it 
is no less true, that they contain rather a list of 
prohibitions, and of the most prominent and overt 
acts of disobedience to the will of God, than a de- 



XV11 



claration of what that will absolutely is. In human 
governments, laws are considered as restraints upon 
natural liberty, and, therefore, every thing which is 
not forbidden by them is permitted. Thus a man 
may, without being amenable to the law, hate the 
king as much as he pleases, if he only avoid the com- 
mission of any of those acts which are, by statute, 
construed into high treason. It is certain, that the 
ten commandments are very often interpreted in the 
same way. They are often supposed to permit that 
which they do not expressly prohibit. And on this 
subject we are disposed to think, that the error does 
not so much consist in the misinterpretation of the 
commandments, as in mistaking th& purpose for 
which they were given, and in supposing that they 
were ever intended to convey a full and spiritual 
view of the duty of man to God. For it ought to 
be remembered, that the ten commandments, besides 
being a religious rule, formed also a part of a code 
of civil jurisprudence. Jehovah was not only the 
God of Israel, as well as of all the universe, he 
was also the political King of Israel ; and the law 
of Moses not only gives a view of the Divine char- 
acter, but also contains the statutes of the state, ac- 
cording to which property was determined, and of- 
fences were judged and punished. Religion binds 
the mind, the law of the land binds the body ; God 
is the only judge of faithfulness or rebellion in the 
first; man can judge of obedience or disobedience 
to the second. In the Jewish government, these 
two principles were united — the spirit of religion 
breathes through the law, and yet the acts prohibited 
3 



XV111 

are, with the single exception of the injunctions of 
the tenth commandment, such as the eye of man 
could judge of, and such as required to be proved 
or disproved before their courts, by the testimony of 
human witnesses. This union, however, did not 
change or materialize the essence of religion. An 
Israelite who kept the ten commandments to the 
letter, was innocent and righteous in the eye of 
the law, and of God, considered as the political king 
of the nation ; but he might keep them most strictly 
to the letter, and yet stand under a heavy charge 
of guiltiness before God, as the spiritual judge of 
man. This important distinction between the spir- 
itual religion and the material letter of their law, 
appears however to have been very generally over- 
looked by the Jews — they learned to limit their 
idea of sin, to the mere perpetration of the pro- 
hibited overt acts of disobedience — they looked to 
God only as their temporal king, and they became 
blind to the embracing universality of his claims 
upon them as their Creator and Spiritual Judge. 
And the same error is often committed amongst our- 
selves, without the same apology as the Jews had. 
There were positive miraculous blessings connected 
with external obedience, under the theocracy, which 
might naturally lead them to lay great stress on this 
outside righteousness. And God appeared to them 
as their national Lawgiver and Judge, requiring this 
external obedience, and expressing his approbation 
of it. But the temporal theocracy is no more. God 
reveals himself in the Gospel solely in his spiritual 
relation. And when we think of satisfying him by 



XIX 

an external obedience, we do him dishonor, and 
we degrade his law down to a level with our own 
Acts of Parliament. The offences prohibited in 
the ten commandments, may be considered as the 
top branches of that tree of revolt, which grows 
naturally in the heart, and brings forth correspond- 
ing fruit more or less in the life of every man un- 
renewed by the Spirit of God. But these branches 
may be lopped or checked, and yet the strength of 
the poison may remain undiminished in the root, 
and in the trunk. The true and full law of God, 
is not only directed against this pernicious tree in 
its root, as well as its branches ; but it also requires 
that the soil should be occupied by another plant, 
which may bring forth fruit to the glory of God. 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy 
heart, and mind, and soul, and strength." This 
is the universal and spiritual law of God, and it was 
given to the Jews, though it does not make a part 
of their judicial code. It is contained in that so- 
lemn and touching recapitulation of mercies, and 
judgments, and obligations, and duties, which Mo- 
ses makes to the generation which had been either 
born or brought up in the wilderness, a short time 
before his own death, and their entrance into the 
land promised to their fathers. In this address, the 
spirit of the future dispensation breaks forth more 
distinctly, than in that part which was, strictly speak- 
ing, their law. 

Judaism was throughout a type of Christianity. 
The wondrous history of the chosen people — their 
deliverance from Egypt — their wanderings through 



xx 



the desert — their miraculous support during their 
long pilgrimage — their separation from other na- 
tions — their settlement in Canaan — their visible 
theocracy, were all material emblems of the spiritual 
kingdom of Christ, and of the spiritual history of 
the children of God, in their journey from this 
vale of sin and sorrow, to the rest prepared for 
them. Even so their law, in all its parts, not mere- 
ly in its ceremonial, but even in its moral precepts, 
though it embraced and illustrated the principles of 
the succeeding dispensation, yet was in itself, to a 
great degree, literal, and material, and external ; 
and the law of the ten commandments bore to the 
spiritual law of love, a relation somewhat analogous 
to that which the sacrifices of the tabernacle bore 
to the perfect atonement of Christ. Those who 
saw in the sacrifices no more than a ceremonial puri- 
fication from external pollutions, or a mode of de- 
liverance from external evils, would see no more in 
the ten commandments than a rule of external obe- 
dience. Whilst those who saw under that veil of 
rites a manifestation of the combined mercy and ho- 
liness which constitute the spiritual character of God, 
in relation to sinners — those who saw under it the 
type of that great atonement, on the ground of 
which the divine justice is even glorified in the par- 
don of the offenders, such Israelites would also dis- 
cover the spiritual law of love under the ten com- 
mandments, and would feel their hearts drawn to 
its observance. And in like manner, those who 
had found out that heart-love was the obedience 
which God required, would not rest satisfied until 



XXI 

they had also discovered the true meaning of the 
sacrifices. They would feel assured, that the same 
principle in the mind of God, which prompted him 
to demand the hearts of his creatures, would prompt 
him also to make such a discovery of his own char- 
acter as would draw their hearts, and make obe- 
dience easy and delightful. They would look for 
something else than mere authority, to enforce such 
a command ; and they would find it in the spiritual 
antitype of all these ceremonies. Christ came not 
to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fill them 
out. They were but sketches and cartoons. He 
came to fill up their shadowy outlines with all the 
substance of real action, and all the rich coloring 
of spiritual affections. The ten commandments, 
taking into account the Christian modification of the 
fourth, are as binding now as ever they were, be- 
cause the duties contained in them spring out of the 
eternal relation between God and man ; but the most 
axact adherence to their letter will not defend us 
from the charge of spiritual delinquency before the 
Searcher of hearts. 

When the law of God comes to a man only in the 
shape of prohibitions, he is apt to consider it as a 
hard and severe thing, and to count his own uneasy 
submission to it, an act of price and merit. He has 
unwillingly abstained from some indulgence, and he 
lays up this price of self-denial in his treasury, as 
something on which he may afterwards found a hope 
or a claim before God. But when the law makes 
a demand upon our heart, the matter is changed en- 
tirely. In the first place, it is evident that he who 
3* 



XXli 

makes the demand is himself full of affection towards 
us, for what but love could make him desire pos- 
session of our hearts ? and, in the next place, the 
idea of merit is altogether thrown out, because who 
is it that can say, that he has loved with all his 
heart; and besides, the very thought of forming to 
ourselves a claim, destroys the fulness of the obe r 
dience, as it taints the freedom and generosity of 
love. 

A prohibitory law allows a man to think that he 
has fulfilled duty, and even that he has done certain 
things beyond the requirements of duty ; or, in 
other words, supererogatory. But the law of love 
sets duty, like the horizon, always before us, at the 
utmost extent of vision ; for love urges to do all that 
we can do, and then thinks all too little. 

If the law of God could be truly obeyed by mere 
self-denial and exertion, then pardon, or the ex- 
pression of divine favor, might properly have been 
reserved, and held out as the ultimate reward of 
diligence. But if the heart is positively required, 
and if love be the obedience demanded, as well as 
the heaven promised by the Bible, then we must 
have something to enforce it more cogent than either 
a command, or the expectation of a reward. And 
this we have in the gift of Christ, which is both 
the pledge of pardon and the proof of love. 

It may appear to some, that the argument which 
has been stated, is not of much importance in these 
Christian days, as they are called. But the error 
which it combats, is not confined to any country, or 
to any age. Men still desire to change the spiri- 



XXlll 

tual, heart-searching God, into a temporal king^ 
who judges only by the outward act, and who is sat- 
isfied with pious forms, and social integrity. It is 
this error which has, to a great degree, unchristian- 
ized even the form and profession of the Church of 
Rome, and which, more or less, unchristianizes the 
religion of Protestants. We may call it Judaism, 
or we may call it Popery, but it is the error of the 
human heart, more openly professed indeed by some 
than others, but prevalent universally under various 
shapes and names, until rooted out by the Spirit of 
the living God. 

It is the knowledge of duty which gives us the 
knowledge of sin. And a knowledge of the true 
nature of these two things, makes the Gospel abso- 
lutely necessary to the heart. Sin is the transgres- 
sion of the first and great commandment — it is a 
departure of the heart from God. And why does 
the heart depart from God ? Is he not good ; is 
he not gracious ; is he not worthy of our highest 
love, and gratitude, and confidence ? Yes, no one 
denies this. How then does it come to pass, that 
the heart departs from God? The explanation is, 
that our affections are bound to God only whilst 
the view of his love and his excellency is present 
to the mind. Had the tempter dared to assail Adam, 
whilst he was walking with God in the garden, 
and drinking in life and light from his communion 
with him, can we doubt what the result would have 
been ? God is light, and walks in light — a light 
pure and unapproachable by evil ; and when Adam 
walked with him, he also was surrounded by that 



XXlV 

light, and was defended by it as by a shield. It is 
in the absence of the sun that the glow-worm, and 
the ignis-fatuus are seen ; and it is in the absence 
of the light of the divine presence, that the things 
of sense and of time assume a false splendor, and 
like the wandering fires of nature, lure men to de- 
struction. He who walketh in the day, stumbleth 
not, for he hath the light of this world ; he sees 
things as they are ; he is not exposed to the delu- 
sion of false appearances ; he can distinguish be- 
tween the beaten road and the morass ; he walks 
confidently and safely, for it is light which leads 
him. It is the property of light to make manifest ; 
and the more elevated the kind and the degree of 
the light is, the greater will be the perfection and 
the truth of the manifestation. What then must 
the perfection and truth of that manifestation be, 
which is made by the spiritual presence of the Fa- 
ther of lights : and how great must be the security 
and confidence of those who walk in it. 

In this light Adam walked during the happy 
days of innocence. And whilst he thus looked on 
the excellence and the beauty of God, he was ir- 
resistibly attracted to him, and he could not sin, for 
the law of love was written on his heart. 

The presence of God was thus the source and the 
security, as well as the reward of his continual love 
and obedience. But he went out from the presence 
of God — he ceased to contemplate God — and the 
light of the divine perfections faded from his spiri- 
tual vision. In this season of absence or forgetful- 
ness, love abated, (for love lives by contemplating 



XXV 

what is excellent,) the tempter came and Adam fell. 
Ah ! wherefore did he leave the blessed light, which 
was a glory and a defence — which would have scared 
away the powers of darkness, and guided his steps, 
and kept him from falling ? Verily, it is an evil 
and bitter thing to depart from God. What was 
his condition now ? Alas how changed ! Instead 
of walking with God as a friend, he dreaded and 
shunned him as an enemy. His backslidings re- 
proved him ; and his own conscience became the 
dreadful executioner of that sentence, which ex- 
cluded him from the family and favor of God. As 
he had refused to walk in the light, he was shut out 
from the light — he had chosen a lie, and he re- 
ceived it for his portion — he had disregarded the 
smile of Jehovah, and now he could think only of his 
frown. 

Thus not only did sin become its own punish- 
ment, but this punishment became a fruitful source 
of farther sin. It was the contemplation of the ex- 
cellenc}^, and a sense of the paternal favor of God ? 
which produced and expanded the principles of holy 
love and obedience in the heart of Adam. The 
cessation of this contemplation, and the forgetfulness 
of this paternal favor, were the very causes of his 
fall : and now these causes are fixed upon him— 
they become the very circumstances of his existence. 
He cannot contemplate God, for he feels himself 
banished from His presence-— he cannot enjoy the 
sense of his paternal favor, for condemnation has 
been pronounced against him. 

Adam's perfection had flowed from, and consisted 



XXVI 

in this, — that his affections were powerfully and 
permanently attracted by the contemplation of the 
holy love and kindness of God. When this at- 
traction ceased, his perfections ceased. What then 
must the consequence have been, when the divine 
love and favor were changed into displeasure ? 
Evidently repulsion instead of attraction. It is the 
smile, and not the frown — it is the favor, and not 
the condemnation of God, which shows forth love ; 
but it is only His frown, and His condemnation 
which the convicted and unpardoned rebel contem- 
plates — and thus the estrangement of his heart be- 
comes more and more confirmed — darkness is his 
guide, and it leads him to thoughts and deeds of 
darkness. These thoughts and deeds, he feels, 
call for a farther condemnation ; and the fear of this 
removes him still farther from God. There is no 
limit to this tremendous series, but in the riches of 
divine grace. Perhaps the most overwhelming cir- 
cumstance in the miserable condition supposed is, 
that even the remaining good of the heart opposes our 
return to God. All our remaining sense of the ex- 
cellency of holiness, and all the loathing and condem- 
nation of our own pollution, which we may yet feel, 
makes us shun the divine presence. The know- 
ledge and approbation of what is right, without some 
view of forgiving love, can do little more, in the 
heart of a weak and sinful creature, than record and 
repeat the sentence of condemnation against itself, — 
and teach it, that any misery is to be preferred to that 
of looking in the face of an offended God. 

Is there not then a true philosophy in that system 



XXVll 



which would make men cease from sinning, by re- 
moving the condemnation of sin ? Is there not a 
true wisdom in that religion, which would draw men 
from works of darkness, by surrounding them again 
with heavenly light ? And is there not a divine 
glory in that plan, which would overcome evil by 
good — which would annihilate distance, by annihilat- 
ing fear — and which would expel enmity from the 
soul, by satisfying it with the abundance of grace ? 

The perfection of a creature does not consist in 
its own self-possessed powers, but in the maintenance 
of its proper place, in relation to its Creator : and 
the name of that place is Constant Dependence. 
This place can be held only by affectionate confi- 
dence ; and this requires a constant sense of the 
favorable presence and protection of God. Men 
sometimes puzzle themselves, by contrasting the 
moral strength attributed to Adam, with the facility 
of his fall. But Adam's strength is only another 
name for his love to God ; and that love depended 
entirely on the view which he took of His charac- 
ter in general, and of His relation to himself in par- 
ticular. Whilst he viewed Him as his omnipresent 
and ever-gracious Friend, he loved Him ; or, in other 
words, he was strong. When he lost this view, 
from any cause, there would be a proportional di- 
minution of his strength. And after his offence, 
when he viewed him as his condemning Judge, his 
love would be changed into fear and estrangement ; 
that is to say, his strength would become weakness. 

It must be so — it cannot be otherwise, in the 
nature of things. Love is the obedience of the 



xxvni 

heart 5 and that is the obedience which God requires. 
And this love, in the heart of a hitherto sinless crea- 
ture, can only proceed from, or be maintained by a 
sense, and a continued sense — of the holy compla- 
cency of God ; and, in the heart of a sinful creature, 
by a sense, and a continued sense — of the holy com- 
passion of God. This going forth of the heart and 
the thought towards God, is to the spiritual man, 
what his locks were to the unshaven champion of 
Israel. It is the channel through which the omni- 
potent God communicates himself to his children. 
Whilst this channel continues unbroken and unin- 
terrupted, all is safe. But when a created thing is 
permitted to interpose itself between the soul, and 
the face of God, the charm is broken — the divine 
current ceases to flow in — he who before was strong 
becomes weak — and those Philistines, who had often 
fled before him, now put out his eyes, and make him 
grind in the prison. 

"Abide in me," says the Head of the redeemed 
family, " and I will abide in you." Thus shall ye 
bring forth much fruit ; and *thus shall ye " ask what 
ye will, and it shall be done unto you." To this 
object, therefore, ought Christian effort mainly to be 
directed : for here the Christian's strength lies, and 
here only. Here only he finds an object which will 
satisfy and sanctify every faculty of his being. His 
moral sense, his affections, and his desire of happi- 
ness, are here filled and captivated. How different 
this from the effort of the world's morality ! The 
world's morality, even in its highest strain, is mere 
self-denial, and a painful struggle against nature, 



XXIX 

It is, however, a noble struggle. And, assuredly, 
when we look at those who, unaided by the light of 
revelation, have trod this uphill path ; and who, by 
the strong effort of an upright will, have quelled the 
passions and feelings which rebel against truth and 
reason, we cannot but admire them ; and little do 
we envy those who can refuse them this tribute. 
But though it is a noble spectacle, it is yet a melan- 
choly one. It is an unequal warfare. The citadel 
is betrayed : the heart is in the hands of the enemy. 
The conqueror is unhappy, even in his victory ; for 
what has he achieved ? He has not really overcome 
his antagonists ; he has only prevented their erup- 
tion. He has imprisoned them in their own favor- 
ite residence — his inmost heart, where they feed on 
his very vitals. On the Christian system the case 
begins at the heart : and the moral progress is a 
healthy progress of the whole man, and not a tem- 
porary submission of one part of the mind to another. 
There is no self-denial in the character of God ; 
it is his delight to do that which is good. Neither 
would there be any self-denial in our virtue, if we 
perfectly loved God ; because that love would find 
its highest gratification in a conformity to the will 
of God. But how are we to grow in this love ? 
How is our holiness to be purged from self-denial ? 
No otherwise than by abiding in the view of God, 
as revealed in Jesus Christ. This rule differs only 
in words from the apostolic precept, " Pray without 
ceasing." It embraces the whole armor of God; 
and gives peace as well as security. The heart 
must be directed towards God, the Father of mer- 
4 



XXX 



eies; and then, even in this prison, although we 
may still feel our fetters, our locks will begin to grow 
like Samson's : and however we may groan under the 
burden of life, and remaining corruption, yet shall 
we, like him, also triumph at our death, and be made 
more than conquerors, through him that loved us. 

For it is not till after death, that we are to ex- 
pect unmixed happiness. Our moralists need not 
be apprehensive that Christianity, by the greatness 
of its present gifts, extinguishes hope for the future. 
There is something kept in reserve to animate ex- 
ertion, and to reward perseverance. The Gospel 
does not expend all its treasures in this life. Great 
indeed, and unspeakable are the blessings which it 
bestows even here ; but they are not given without 
alloy — they serve but as foretastes to excite our 
longings for the joy set before us. The Gospel 
teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. 
And it teaches this, only by directing our thoughts 
not only back to the cross, and to the pardon which 
was there sealed ; and around us, to that mercy which 
continually embraceth those who trust in the cross ; 
but also forwa?'ds, to the blessed hope of the 
Saviour's appearing, and to the rest which remaineth 
for the people of God. Yes, every sin is full of 
sorrow ; and every day on earth is full of sin. Man 
also " is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upw r ard." 
And although the believer does feed on angels' 
food ; and although the blessed Spirit does comfort 
his heart by the disclosures of that love which pass- 
eth understanding, yet is he often made to feel the 
length of the way, and the barrenness of the land 






XXXI 

And often does his evil heart of unbelief grieve that 
Comforter, and tempt him to depart. He feels that 
he daily wounds the love that bled for him ; and 
that is bitter, even in the midst of forgiveness. He 
also sees God dishonored, and his law trampled on 
by his fellow-creatures. And thus he is taught, 
that this is not his rest ; and that he hath no abiding 
city here. These things made the Psalmist say, 
" Oh that I had wings like a dove, for then would 
T flee away and be at rest," — they drew from Jere- 
miah that plaintive cry, " Oh that I had, in the 
wilderness, a lodging-place of wayfaring men ; that 
I might leave my people and go from them," — and 
they even forced Elijah, a man destined to enter 
heaven by another gate than that of death, to re- 
quest for himself that he might die. Now all these 
men had much enjoyment of God in this world, as we 
read in other parts of their history ; but the vast dis- 
proportion between their enjoyment of him here, and 
their expected enjoyment of Him in the other world, 
made them, as well as the saints under a clearer dis- 
pensation, feel and confess, that presence in the body 
is absence from the Lord. 

And yet future glory is not desired by a Chris- 
tian as an entirely new, and hitherto unknown thing ; 
but as the full accomplishment of a blessedness al- 
ready begun, though too much impeded here by cor- 
ruption within, and sorrow without. Christianity was 
not an entirely new thing to pious Jews ; but yet 
its light so far excelled that of their introductory dis- 
pensation, as to make it appear but darkness in the 
comparison. They saw it afar off; but the prospect 



XXX11 



was so dim, that Isaiah calls it, " that which eye 
had not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man 
conceived." Even so we may say of Christian joy, 
as we must confess of Christian character, in this 
life, that it hath no glory, by reason of the glory 
that excelleth. We can place no limits to that fu- 
ture glory, but in the will of Him whose goodness 
and power are equally unlimited. 

That family which God hath adopted in Christ 
Jesus, for their spiritual good, He hath subjected 
in this world, as He did the Captain of their salva- 
tion, to affliction. They are, however, supported 
under it by the assurance, that as they are joint 
heirs with Christ in suffering, they shall be so also 
with him in glory. The anticipation of that glory 
is a characteristic feature of the family. Whilst 
they remain on earth, their eyes are fixed on it, and 
their earnest expectation waiteth for its perfect de- 
velopment, in the full manifestation of their privi- 
leges as the sons of God. As. the Gospel was the 
same in kind, from the first promise of the woman's 
seed in Eden, until the day of Christ's ascension 
from mount Olivet, and only varied in the degree 
and clearness of its revelation ; so also the character 
and joy formed upon it, and by it, must be the same 
in kind for ever, and will only vary in the degree of 
its development. This accounts for the same name 
being sometimes given to different stages in the pro- 
cess. Thus, in one place, we are told, that believers 
have already received the charter of adoption, in that 
revelation which addresses them as children, and 
authorizes them to speak of God as their Father. 






XXX111 

And, at the distance of a few verses, these same be- 
lievers are described as waiting for the adoption, 
namely, the redemption of their body. The resur- 
rection is here called the adoption, because it is the 
concluding step in the process of adoption ; it is that 
act of omnipotent mercy, by which the last trace of 
condemnation shall be obliterated — by which this 
mortal shall be clothed with immortality, and this 
corruptible with incorruption. There is but one 
joy, and one adoption ; but they contain the principle 
of infinite expansion and enlargement. The light of 
revelation enables us to trace their progress till the 
morning of the resurrection, when the risen saints 
shall sit down with Christ upon his throne ; and there 
it leaves them, hid in the future eternity. 

Then their joy shall be full — they shall ever be 
with the Lord — they shall be made pillars in His 
temple, and go no more out. But still the princi- 
ple of progress will be in action. The joy which 
fills them will expand their capacity of enjoyment; 
and their increasing capacity will be filled with an 
increasing joy. Their joy will increase, because 
their powers and capacities of comprehending and 
loving God will increase ; but still the great object 
itself, the source of all their joy, remains eternally 
the same — the character of God, revealed in Christ 
Jesus. 

It is sweet to look forward to the restitution of 
all things — to think of a world where God is entirely 
glorified, and entirely loved, and entirely obeyed — 
where sin and sorrow are no more — where severed 

friends shall meet, never again to part — where the 

4* 



XXXIV 



body shall not weigh down the spirit, but shall be 
its fit medium of communication with all the glorious 
inhabitants and scenery of heaven — where no dis- 
cordant tones, or jarring feelings, shall interrupt or 
mar the harmony of that universal song, which shall 
burst from every heart and every tongue, to Him 
who sitteth upon the throne ? and to the Lamb. 
And it is not only sweet, but most profitable to me- 
ditate on these prospects. It is a most healthful 
exercise. It brings the soul into contact with that 
society, to which it properly belongs, and for which 
it w r as created. 

The world thinks that these heavenly musings 
must unqualify the mind for present exertion. But 
this is a mistake, arising from an ignorance of the 
nature of heaven. The happiness of heaven con- 
sists in the perfection of those principles which lead 
to the discharge of duty ; and therefore, the contem- 
plation of it must increase our sense of the impor- 
tance of duty. That happiness, as has been already 
observed, is not entirely a future thing ; but rather the 
completion of a present process, in which every 
duty bears an important part. The character and 
the happiness of heaven like the light and heat of 
the sunbeams, are so connected, that it is impossible 
to separate them ; and the natural and instinctive 
desire of the one, is thus necessarily linked to the 
desire of the other. Full of peace as the prospect 
of heaven is, there is no indolent relinquishment of 
duty, connected with the contemplation of it : for 
heaven is full of action. Its repose is like the re- 
pose of nature — the repose of planets in their orbits. 



XXXV 

It is a rest from all controversy with God — from all 
opposition to his will. His servants serve him. 
Farewell, vain world ! no rest hast thou to offer, 
which can compare with this. The night is far 
spent; soon will that day dawn, and the shadows flee 
away. 

" The Saints' Everlasting Rest " was written on a 
bed of sickness. It contains those thoughts and 
feelings^ which occupied, and fortified, and animated 
the Author, as he stood on the brink of eternity. 
The examples of heavenly meditation which he gives, 
really breathe of heaven ; and the importance of such 
meditation, as a duty, and as a mean of spiritual 
growth, is admirably set forth, and most powerfully 
enforced. And is it not a most pernicious madness 
and stupidity to neglect this duty ? Is it not strange 
that such prospects should excite so little interest ? 
Is it not strange that the uncertainty of the duration 
of life, and the certainty of its sorrows, do not com- 
pel men to seek refuge in that " inheritance which is 
incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away? " 
Is it not strange that the offers of friendship, and 
intimate relationship, which God is continually hold- 
ing out to us, should be slighted, even in competi- 
tion with the society of those, whom we cannot but 
despise and reprobate ? Is it not strange that we 
should, day after clay, allow ourselves to be duped 
by the same false promises of happiness, which have 
disappointed us, just as often as they have been 
trusted ? O ! let us be persuaded that there is no 
rest in created things. No : there is no rest, except 
in Him who made us. Who is the man that can 



XXXVI 



say he has found rest elsewhere ? No man says it. 
May God open our hearts, as well as our understand- 
ings, to see the truth ; that we may practically know 
the insufficiency, and hollowness, and insecurity of all 
earthly hopes ; and that we may be led, in simplicity 
and earnestness, to seek, and so to find our rest in 
Himself. 



T. E, 

Edinburgh, February, 1824. 






TO 
THE INHABITANTS 

OF THE 

BOROUGH AND FOREIGN OF KIDDERMINSTER, 
BOTH MAGISTRATES AND PEOPLE. 



My Dear Friends, 

There are obvious reasons for prefixing your 
names to this book. It contains the substance of what 
was first preached in your parish church, and was first 
published from the press with a Dedication to your 
worthy Ancestors. Your trade and manufactures can 
never render your town so famous, as the name and 
writings of Mr. Baxter have already made it, both 
in this Island, and in many remote parts of the Pro- 
testant world. His intimate and important relation to 
Kidderminster, and the years he abode in it, afforded 
him the most delightful reflection as long as he lived. 

Long experience has enabled me to testify for 
you, that, notwithstanding your share in those com- 
mon distinctions which so unhappily divide fellow- 
protestants, you possess an unusual degree of candor 
and friendship for each other. Thus you show, 
that Kidderminster has not totally lost the amiable 
spirit which it imbibed more than a century ago. 

There are no excellencies, personal or relative, no 
species of domestic or public happiness, no beauties 
of civil or religious life, but what will be naturally 
promoted by a care to secure to ourselves an interest 
in the rest which remaineth to the people of God. 
They are the people for whom alone that rest is de- 



38 

signed, both by the promises of God, and by the 
purchase of the Son of God. A care to secure that 
rest to yourselves, is the one thing needful. But 
neither this people, nor this care, you well know, are 
the peculiarities of any age, or of any party. If the 
inhabitants of Kidderminster, formerly excelled in 
this care, you must allow, that it was their greatest 
glory. And this more than any improvements of 
trade, or increasing elegancies of life, will be the 
greatest glory of their successors. 

To excite this care, is the noblest design of all 
religious instruction. This 3 and nothing else, ani- 
mates the following pages. Here, God and Christ, 
heaven and holiness, invite your most attentive and 
affectionate regards. Here, you may peruse, what 
multitudes in the same town have heard and read be- 
fore you to their everlasting joy, till your blessings 
prevail above the blessings of your progenitors. Here, 
by the help of divine grace, you may learn the heav- 
enly art of walking with God below, of living in a 
constant view and foretaste of the glories of the new 
Jerusalem, and of making all you say or do, suffer or 
enjoy, subservient to the brightening your immortal 
crown. — Nothing has the Compiler of this Abridgment 
to wish like such consequences as these ; even, to see 
the same holy and heavenly conversation in himself, 
and in those around him, now, as Mr. Baxter saw in 
his day. This would be the greatest joy, and shall be 
the constant and fervent prayer, of your affectionate 
Friend, and obedient Servant, 

B. FAWCETT, 

Kidderminster, Jan. 1, 1759, 



THE 



COMPILER'S PREFACE, 



Mr. Richard Baxter, the Author of the " Saints 3 
Rest," so well known to the world by this, and many- 
other excellent and useful writings, was a learned, 
laborious, and eminently holy Divine of the last age, 
He was born near Shrewsbury in 1615, and died at 
London in 1691. 

His ministry in an unsettled state, was for many 
years employed with great and extensive success, 
both in London and in several parts of the country ; 
but he was nowhere fixed so long, or with such 
entire satisfaction to himself, and apparent advantage 
to others, as at Kidderminster. His abode there 
was indeed interrupted, partly by his bad health, 
but chiefly by the calamities of a civil war, yet in 
the whole it amounted to sixteen years ; nor was it 
by any means the result of his own choice, or that 
of the inhabitants of Kidderminster, that he never 
settled there again, after his going from thence in 
1660. Before his coming thither, the place was 
overrun with ignorance and profaneness ; but, by the 
divine blessing on his wise and faithful cultivation, the 
fruits of righteousness sprung up in rich abundance. 
He at first found but a single instance or two of 
daily family prayer in a whole street ; and at his 



40 

going away, but one family or two could be found 
in some streets that continued to neglect it. And 
on Lord's-days, instead of the open profanation to 
which they had been so long accustomed, a person, 
in passing through the town, in the intervals of 
public worship, might overhear hundreds of families 
engaged in singing Psalms, reading the Scriptures 
and other good books, or such sermons as they had 
wrote down, while they heard them from the pulpit. 
His care of the souls committed to his charge, 
and the success of his labors among them, were 
truly remarkable ; for the number of his stated com- 
municants rose to six hundred, of whom he himself 
declared, there were not twelve concerning whose 
sincere piety he had not reason to entertain good 
hopes. Blessed be God, the religious spirit which 
was thus happily introduced, is yet to be traced in 
the town and neighborhood in some degree : (O 
that it were in a greater !) and in proportion as that 
spirit remains, the name of Mr. Baxter continues in 
the most honorable and affectionate remembrance. 

As a writer, he has the approbation of some of 
his greatest cotemporaries, who best knew him, and 
were under no temptations to be partial in his favor. 
Dr. Barrow said, " His practical writings were never 
mended, and his controversial ones seldom con- 
futed." With a view to his casuistical writings, 
the honorable Robert Boyle, declared, " He was 
the fittest man of the age for a casuist, because he 
feared no man's displeasure, nor hoped for any man's 
preferment." Bishop Wilkins observed of him, " that 
he had cultivated every subject he had handled ; 



41 

that if he had lived in the primitive times he would 
have been one of the fathers of the church ; and 
that it was enough for one age to produce such 
a person as Mr. Baxter." Archbishop Usher had 
such high thoughts of him, that by his earnest im- 
portunity he put him upon writing several of his 
practical discourses, particularly that celebrated piece, 
his Call to the Unconverted. Dr. Manton, as he 
freely expressed it, " thought Mr. Baxter came 
nearer the apostolical writings than any man in the 
age." And it is both as a preacher, and a writer, 
that Dr. Bates considers him, when, in his funeral 
sermon for him, he says, " In his sermons there was 
a rare union of arguments and motives, to convince 
the mind, and gain the heart. All the fountains of 
reason and persuasion were open to his discerning 
eye. There was no resisting the force of his dis- 
courses, without denying reason and divine revela- 
tion. He had a marvellous facility and copiousness 
in speaking. There was a noble negligence in his 
style, for his great mind could not stoop to the af- 
fected eloquence of words ; he despised flashy ora- 
tory; but his expressions were clear and powerful, 
so convincing the understanding, so entering into 
the soul, so engaging the affections, that those were 
as deaf as adders who were not charmed by so wise 
a charmer. He was animated with the Holy Spirit, 
and breathed celestial fire, to inspire heat and life 
into dead sinners, and to melt the obdurate in 
their frozen tombs. His books, for their number, 
(which it seems was more than one hundred and 
twenty,) and variety of matter in them, make a li- 
5 



42 

brary. They contain a treasure of controversial, 
casuistical, and practical divinity. His books of 
practical divinity have been effectual for more nu- 
merous conversions of sinners to God, than any print- 
ed in our time ; and, while the church remains on 
earth, will be of continual efficacy to recover lost 
souls. There is a vigorous pulse in them, that keeps 
the reader awake and attentive." To these testi- 
monies may not improperly be added that of the ed- 
itors of his practical works in four folio volumes ; in 
the Preface to which they say, " Perhaps there are 
no writings among us that have more of a true Chris- 
tian spirit, a greater mixture of judgment and af- 
fection, or a greater tendency to revive pure and 
undefiled religion ; that have been more esteemed 
abroad, or more blessed at home, for the awakening 
the secure, instructing the ignorant, confirming the 
wavering, comforting the dejected, recovering the 
profane, or improving such as are truly serious, than 
the practical works of this author." Such were the 
apprehensions of eminent persons, who were well ac- 
quainted with Mr. Baxter and his writings. It is 
therefore the less remarkable that Mr. Addison, from 
an accidental and a very imperfect acquaintance, but 
with his usual pleasantness and candor, should men- 
tion the following incident ; "I once met with a 
page of Mr. Baxter. Upon the perusal of it, I 
conceived so good an idea of the author's piety, that I 
bought the whole book." 

Whatever other causes might concur, it must 
chiefly be ascribed to Mr. Baxter's distinguished 
reputation as a preacher, and a writer, that presently 



43 

after the restoration he was appointed one of the 
chaplains in ordinary to King Charles II. and preach- 
ed once before him in that capacity ; as also that he 
had an offer made him by the Lord Chancellor 
Clarendon, of the bishopric of Hereford, which, in 
a respectful letter to his Lordship, he saw proper to 
decline. 

The Saints' Rest is deservedly esteemed one of 
the most valuable parts of his practical works. He 
wrote it when he was far from home, without any 
book to consult but his Bible, and in such an ill state 
of health, as to be in continual expectation of death 
for many months 5 and, therefore, merely for his 
own use, he fixed his thoughts on this heavenly sub- 
ject, " which, says he, hath more benefitted me than 
all the studies of my life." At this time he could 
be little more than thirty years old. He afterwards 
preached over the subject in his weekly lecture at 
Kidderminster, and in 1656 he published it; and 
indeed it appears to have been the first that ever he 
published of all his practical writings. Of this book 
Dr. Bates says, "It is written by him when lan- 
guishing in the suspense of life and death, but has 
the signatures of his holy and vigorous mind. To 
allure our desires, he unveils the sanctuary above, 
and discovers the glories and joys of the blessed in 
the divine presence, by a light so strong and lively, 
that all the glittering vanities of this world vanish 
in that comparison, and a sincere believer will de- 
spise them, as one of mature age does the toys and 
baubles of children. To excite our fear, he removes 
the screen, and makes the everlasting fire of hell so 



44 

visible, and represents the tormenting passions of 
the damned in those dreadful colors, that, if duly 
considered, would check and control the unbridled 
licentious appetites of the most sensual wretches." 

Heavenly rest is a subject, in its own nature so 
universally important and interesting, and at the 
same time so truly engaging and delightful, as suffi- 
ciently accounts for the great acceptance which this 
book has met with ; and partly also for the uncom- 
mon blessing which has attended Mr. Baxter's man- 
ner of treating the subject, both from the pulpit, and 
the press. For where are the operations of divine 
grace more reasonably to be expected, or where have 
they in fact been more frequently discerned, than in 
concurrence with the best adapted means? And 
should it appear, that persons of distinguishing 
judgment and piety, have expressly ascribed their 
first religious impressions to the hearing or reading 
the important sentiments contained in this book ; or, 
after a long series of years, have found it, both the 
counterpart, and the improvement, of their own 
divine life, will not this be thought a considerable 
recommendation of the book itself? 

Among the instances of persons that dated their 
true conversion from hearing the sermons on the 
Saints' Rest, when Mr. Baxter first preached 
them, was the Rev. Thomas Doolittle, A. M. who 
was a native of Kidderminster, and at that time a 
scholar, about seventeen years old ; whom Mr. Bax- 
ter himself afterwards sent to Pembroke-Hall, in 
Cambridge, where he took his degree. Before his 
going to the university, he was upon trial as an at- 



45 

tomey's clerk, and under that character, being or- 
dered by his master to write something on a Lord's 
day, he obeyed it with great reluctance, and the 
next day returned home, with an earnest desire that 
he might not apply himself to any thing, as the 
employment of life, but serving Christ in the ministry 
of the gospel. His praise is yet in the churches, for 
his pious and useful labors, as a minister, a tutor, and 
a writer. 

In the life of the Rev. John Janeway, Fellow 
of King's College, Cambridge, who died in 1657, 
we are told, that his conversion was, in a great 
measure, occasioned by his reading several parts 
of the Saints' Rest. And in a letter which he 
afterwards wrote to a near relative, speaking with a 
more immediate reference to that part of the book 
which treats of heavenly Contemplation, he says, 
" There is a duty, which, if it were exercised, would 
dispel all cause of melancholy ; I mean, heavenly 
meditation, and contemplation of the things which 
true Christian religion tends to. If we did but 
walk closely with God one hour in a day in this 
duty, O what influence would it have upon the whole 
day besides, and, duly performed, upon the whole 
life ! This duty, with its usefulness, manner and 
directions, I knew in some measure before, but had 
it more pressed upon me by Mr. Baxter's Saints' 
Everlasting Rest, a book that can scarce be over- 
valued, for which I have cause for ever to bless God." 
This excellent young minister's life is worth reading, 
were it only to see how delightfully he was engaged 
5* 



46 

in heavenly contemplation, according to the directions 
in the Saints' Rest. 

It was the example of heavenly contemplation, at 
the close of this book, which the Rev. Joseph Alleine, 
of Taunton, so frequently quoted in conversation with 
this solemn introduction, " Most divinely says that 
man of God, holy Mr. Baxter." 

Dr. Bates, in his dedication of his funeral sermon 
for Mr. Baxter to Sir Henry Ashurst, Bart, tells that 
religious gentleman, and most distinguished friend 
and executor of Mr. Baxter, " He was most worthy 
of your highest esteem and love ; for the first im- 
pressions of heaven upon your soul, were in read- 
ing his invaluable book of the Saints' Everlasting 
Rest." 

In the life of the Rev. Matthew Henry, we 
have the following character given us of Robert 
Warburton, Esq. of Grange, the son of the eminently 
religious judge Warburton, and the father of Mr. 
Matthew Henry's second wife. " He was a gentle- 
man that greatly affected retirement and privacy, 
especially in the latter part of his life ; the Bible, 
and Mr. Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, used 
to lie daily before him on the table in his parlor ; 
he spent the greatest part of his time in reading 
and prayer." 

In the life of that honorable and most religious 
knight, Sir Nathaniel Barnardiston, we are told, 
that u he was constant in secret prayer and read- 
ing the Scriptures ; afterwards he read other choice 
authors : but not long before his death he took a 
singular delight to read Mr. Baxter's Saints' Ever- 



47 

lasting Rest, and preparations thereunto ; which 
was esteemed a gracious event of divine Providence, 
sending it as a guide to bring him more speedily and 
directly to that rest." 

Besides persons of eminence, to whom this book 
has been precious and profitable, we have an instance, 
in the Rev. Mr. James Janeway's Token for Chil- 
dren, of a little boy, whose piety was so discovered 
and promoted by reading it, as the most delightful 
book to him next the Bible, that the thoughts of 
everlasting rest seemed, even while he continued in 
health, to swallow up all other thoughts ; and he 
lived in a constant preparation for it, and looked 
more like one that was ripe for glory, than an inhab- 
itant of this lower world. And when he was in the 
sickness of which he died, before he was twelve years 
old, he said, " I pray, let me have Mr. Baxter's 
book, that I may read a little more of eternity, before 
I go into it." 

Nor is it less observable, that Mr. Baxter him- 
self, taking notice, in a paper found in his study 
after his death, what numbers of persons were con- 
verted by reading his call to the unconverted, accounts 
of which he had received by letter every week, ex- 
pressly adds, " This little book, the Call to the Un- 
converted, God hath blessed with unexpected success, 
beyond all that I have written, except the Saints 5 
Rest." With an evident reference to this book, 
and even during the life of the author, the pious 
Mr. Flavel affectionately says, " Mr. Baxter is almost 
in heaven : living in the daily views, and cheerful ex- 
pectation of the saints' everlasting rest with God ; and 



48 

is left for a little while among us, as a great example 
of the life of faith." And Mr. Baxter himself says, 
in his preface to his Treatise of Self-Denial, " I must 
say, that of all the books which I have written, I 
peruse none so often for the use of my own soul in its 
daily work, as my Life of Faith, this of Self-Denial, 
and the last part of the Saints' Rest." On the whole, 
it is not without good reason that Dr. Calamy remarks 
concerning it, " This is a book, for which multitudes 
will have cause to bless God for ever." 

This excellent and useful book now appears in 
the form of an abridgment ; and, therefore, it is pre- 
sumed, will be the more likely, under the divine 
blessing, to diffuse its salutary influence among those 
that would otherwise have wanted opportunity or 
inclination to read over the larger volume. In re- 
ducing it to this smaller size, I have been very de- 
sirous to do justice to the author, and at the same time 
promote the pleasure and profit of the serious reader. 
And, I hope, these ends are, in some measure, 
answered ; chiefly by dropping things of a digressive, 
controversial, or metaphysical nature ; together with 
prefaces, dedications, and various allusions to some 
peculiar circumstances of the last age ; and particu- 
larly, by throwing several chapters into one, that 
the number of them may better correspond with the 
size of the volume ; and sometimes by altering the 
form, but not the sense, of a period, for the sake of 
brevity ; and when an obsolete phrase occurred, 
changing it for one more common and intelligible. 
I should never have thought of attempting this work, 
if it had not been suggested and urged by others ; 



49 

and by some very respectable names, of whose learn- 
ing, judgment, and piety, I forbear to avail myself. 
However defective this performance may appear, the 
labor of it (if it may be called a labor) has been, 
I bless God, one of the most delightful labors of 
my life. 

Certainly the thoughts of Everlasting Rest may 
be as delightful to souls in the present day, as they 
have ever been to those of past generations. I am 
sure such thoughts are as absolutely necessary now ; 
nor are temptations to neglect them, either fewer, or 
weaker, now than formerly. The worth of ever- 
lasting rest is not felt, because it is not considered : 
it is forgotten, because a thousand trifles are prefer- 
red before it. But were the divine reasonings of 
this book duly attended to, (and O that the Spirit 
and grace of a Redeemer may make them so !) then 
an age of vanity would become serious ; minds ener- 
vated by sensuality, would soon resume the strength 
of reason, and display the excellence of Christianity; 
the delusive names of pleasure would be blotted 
out, by the glorious reality of heavenly joy upon 
earth ; every station and relation in life would be 
filled up with the propriety and dignity of serious 
religion ; every member of society would then effectu- 
ally contribute to the beauty and happiness of the 
whole, and every soul would be ready for life or 
death, for one world or another, in a well-grounded 
and cheerful persuasion of having secured a title to 
that rest which remaineth to the people of God. 

B, F, 

Kidderminster, Dec. 2bth, 1758. 



THE 



SAINTS' EVERLASTING REST. 



THE 

SAINTS' EVERLASTING REST. 



Hebrews iv. 9. 

THERE REMAINETH THEREFORE A REST TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD. 



CHAPTER I. 



The introduction to the Work, with some account of 
the nature of the Saints' Rest. 

Sect. 1. The important design of the Apostle in the text, to which 
the Author earnestly bespeaks the attention of the Reader. 

2. The Saints' Rest defined, with a general plan of the Work. 

3. What this rest presupposes. 4. The Author's humble 
sense of his inability fully to show what this rest contains. 5. 
It contains, (1.) A ceasing from means of grace ; 6. (2.) A per- 
fect freedom from all evils ; 7. (3.) The highest degree of the 
saints' personal perfection, both in body and soul; 8. (4.) The 
nearest enjoyment of God the Chief Good; 9 — 14. (5.) A 
sweet and constant action of all the powers of soul and body 
in this enjoyment of God; as, for instance, bodily senses, know- 
ledge, memory, love, joy, together with a mutual love and joy. 
15. The Author's humble reflection on the deficiency of this 
account. 

1. It was not only our interest in God, and actual 

enjoyment of him, which was lost in Adam's fall, but all 

spiritual knowledge of him, and true disposition towards 

such a felicity. When the Son of God comes with re- 

6 



54 

covering grace, and discoveries of a spiritual and eternal 
happiness and glory, he finds not faith in man to believe 
it. As the poor man, that would not believe any one had 
such a sum as an hundred pounds, it was so far above 
what himself possessed : so men will hardly now believe 
there is such a happiness as once they had, much less as 
Christ hath now procured. When God would give the 
Israelites his Sabbaths of rest, in a land of rest, he had 
more ado to make them believe it, than to overcome their 
enemies, and procure it for them. And when they had it, 
only as a small intimation and earnest of an incomparably 
more glorious rest through Christ, they yet believe no 
more than they possess, but say, with the glutton at the 
feast, Sure there is no other heaven but this ! Or, if they 
expect more by the Messiah, it is only the increase of 
their earthly felicity. The apostle bestows most of this 
Epistle against this distemper, and clearly and largely 
proves, that the end of all ceremonies and shadows, is to 
direct them to Jesus Christ the substance ; and that the 
rest of Sabbaths, and Canaan, should teach them to look 
for a farther rest, which indeed is their happiness. My 
text is his conclusion after divers arguments ; a conclusion, 
which contains the ground of all the believer's comfort, 
the end of all his duty and sufferings, the life and sum of 
all gospel promises and Christian privileges. What more 
welcome to men, under personal afflictions, tiring duties, 
successions of sufferings, than rest 1 It is not our comfort 
only, but our stability. Our liveliness in all duties, our 
enduring tribulation, our honoring of God, the vigor of 
our love, thankfulness, and all our graces ; yea, the very 
being of our religion and Christianity, depend on the 
believing serious thoughts of our rest. And now, reader, 
whatever thou art, young or old, rich or poor, I entreat 
thee, and charge thee, in the name of thy Lord, who will 



55 

shortly call thee to a reckoning, and judge thee to thy 
everlasting unchangeable state, that thou give not these 
things the reading only, and so dismiss them with a bare 
approbation ; but that thou set upon this work, and take 
God in Christ for thy only rest, and fix thy heart upon 
him above all. May the living God, who is the portion 
and rest of his saints, make these our carnal minds so 
spiritual, and our earthly hearts so heavenly, that loving 
him, and delighting in him, may be the work of our lives ; 
and that neither I that write, nor you that read this book, 
may ever be turned from this path of life ; lest a promise 
being left us of entering into his rest, we should come 
short of it, through our own unbelief or negligence ! 

2. The Saints' Rest is the most happy state of a 
Christian ; or it is the perfect endless enjoyment of God 
by the perfected saints, according to the measure of their 
capacity, to which their souls arrive at death, and both 
soul and body most fully after the resurrection and final 
judgment. According to this definition of the Saints' 
Rest, a larger account of its nature will be given in this 
Chapter ; of its preparatives, Chap. II. its excellencies, 
Chap. III. and Chap. IV. the persons for whom it is 
designed. Farther to illustrate the subject, some descrip- 
tion will be given, Chap. V. of their misery who lose this 
rest ; and Chap. VI. who also lose the enjoyments of time, 
and suffer the torments of hell. Next will be showed, 
Chap. VII. the necessity of diligently seeking this rest ; 
Chap. VIII. how our title to it may be discerned ; Chap. 
IX. that they who discern their title to it should help 
those that cannot ; and Chap. X. that this rest is not to 
be expected on earth. It will then be proper to consider 
Chap. XI. the importance of a heavenly life upon earth ; 
Chap. XII. how to live a heavenly life upon earth ; Chap. 
XIII. the nature of heavenly contemplation, with the 



56 

time, place, and temper fittest for it ; Chap. XIV. whai 
use heavenly contemplation makes of consideration, affec- 
tions, soliloquy, and prayer; and likewise Chap. XV. 
how heavenly contemplation may be assisted by sensible 
objects, and guarded against a treacherous heart. Heav- 
enly contemplation will be exemplified, Chap. XVI., and 
the whole work concluded. 

3. There are some things necessarily presupposed in 
the nature of this rest ; as, for instance — that mortal men 
are the persons seeking it. For angels and glorified 
spirits have it already, and the devils and damned are 
past hope. — That they choose God only for their end and 
happiness. He that takes any thing else for his happiness. 
is out of the way the first step.— That they are distant 
from this end. This is the woful case of all mankind 
since the fall. When Christ comes with regenerating 
grace, he finds no man sitting still, but all posting to 
eternal ruin, and making haste towards hell ; till by 
conviction, he first brings them to a stand, and then, 
by conversion, turns their hearts and lives sincerely to 
himself. — This end, and its excellency, is supposed to 
be known, and seriously intended. An unknown good 
moves not to desire or endeavor. And not only a distance 
from this rest, but the true knowledge of this distance, is 
also supposed. They that never yet knew they were 
without God, and in the way to hell, did never yet know 
the way to heaven. Can a man find he hath lost his God, 
and his soul, and not cry, I am undone? The reason 
why so few obtain this rest, is, they will not be convinced, 
that they are, in point of title, distant from it ; and, in 
point of practice, contrary to it. Who ever sought for 
that, which he knew not he had lost 1 " They that be 
whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." — 
The influence of a superior moving cause is also supposed ; 






57 

else we shall all stand still, and not move toward our rest. 
If God move us not, we cannot move. It is a most 
necessary part of our Christian wisdom, to keep our 
subordination to God, and dependence on him. "We 
are not sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of 
ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." "Without 
me," says Christ, " ye can do nothing." — It is next sup- 
posed, that they who seek this rest, have an inward 
principle of spiritual life. God does not move men like 
stones, but he endows them with life, not to enable them 
to move without him, but in subordination to himself the 
first mover. And farther, this rest supposes such an 
actual tendency of soul towards it, as is regular and 
constant, earnest and laborious. He that hides his talent 
shall receive the wages of a slothful servant. Christ is 
the door, the only way to this rest. " But strait is the 
gate, and narrow is the way ; " and we must strive, if we 
will enter, for " many will seek to enter in, and shall not 
be able ; " which implies, that " the kingdom of heaven 
sufTereth violence." Nor will it bring us to the end of 
the saints, if we begin in the spirit, and end in the flesh. 
He only " that endureth to the end shall be saved." And 
never did a soul obtain rest with God, whose desire was 
not set upon him above all things else in the world. 
" Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 
The remainder of our old nature will much weaken and 
interrupt these desires, but never overcome them. And 
considering the opposition to our desires, from the contrary 
principles in our nature, and from the weakness of our 
graces, together with our continued distance from the end, 
our tendency to that end must be laborious, and with all 
our might. — All these things are presupposed, in order to 
a Christian's obtaining an interest in heavenly rest. 

4. Now we have ascended these steps into the outward 
6* 



58 

court, may we look within the vail 1 May we show what 
this rest contains, as well as what it presupposes ? Alas, 
how little know I of that glory ! The glimpse which Paul 
had, contained what could not, or must not be uttered. 
Had he spoken the things of heaven in the language of 
heaven, and none understood that language, what the 
better? The Lord reveal to me what I may reveal to 
you ! The Lord open some light, and show both you and 
me our inheritance ! Not as to Balaam only, whose eyes 
were opened to see the goodliness of Jacob's tents, and 
Israel's tabernacles, where he had no portion, and from 
whence must come his own destruction! Not as to 
Moses, who had only a discovery, instead of possession, 
and saw the land which he never entered ! But as the 
pearl was revealed to the merchant in the gospel, w r ho 
rested not till he had sold all he had, and bought it! 
And as heaven was opened to the blessed Stephen," which 
he was shortly to enter, and the glory showed him which 
should be his own possession ! — The things contained in 
heavenly rest are such as these ; — a ceasing from means 
of grace ; — a perfect freedom from all evils ; — the highest 
degree of the saints' personal perfection, both of body and 
soul ;— the nearest enjoyment of God the chief good ; — 
and a sweet and constant action of all the powers of body 
and soul in this enjoyment of God. 

5. (1.) One thing contained in heavenly rest is, the 
ceasing from means of grace. When we have obtained 
the haven, we have done sailing. When the workman 
receives his wages, it is implied he has done his work. 
When we are at our journey's end, we have done with 
the way. '-Whether prophecies, they shall fail; whether 
tongues, they shall cease ; whether knowledge, it also," 
so far as it had the nature of means, " shall vanish away." 
There shall be no more prayer, because no more necessity, 






59 

but the full enjoyment of what we prayed for : neither 
shall we need to fast and weep, and watch any more, 
being out. of the reach of sin and temptations. Preaching 
is done ; the ministry of man ceaseth ; sacraments become 
useless ; the laborers are called in, because the harvest is 
gathered, the tares burned, and the work finished ; the 
unregenerate past hope, and the saints past fear, for 
ever. 

6. (2.) There is in heavenly rest a perfect freedom 
from all evils. All the evils that accompanied us through 
our course, and which necessarily follow our absence from 
the chief good ; besides our freedom from those eternal 
flames, and restless miseries, which the neglecters of 
Christ and grace must remedilessly endure ; a woful 
inheritance, which, both by birth, and actual merit, was 
due to us, as well as to them. In heaven there is nothing 
that defileth or is unclean. All that remains without. 
And doubtless there is not such a thing as grief and 
sorrow known there : nor is there such a thing as a pale 
face, a languid body, feeble joints, unable infancy, decrepit 
age, peccant humors, painful or pining sickness, griping 
fears, consuming cares, nor whatsoever deserves the name 
of evil. We did weep and lament when the world did 
rejoice ; but our sorrow is turned into joy, and our joy 
shall no man take from us. 

7, (3.) Another ingredient of this rest is, the highest 
degree of the saint's personal perfection, both of body and 
soul. Were the glory ever so great, and themselves not 
made capable of it, by a personal perfection suitable 
thereto, it would be little to them. " Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, 
the things which God hath prepared for them that love 
him." For the eye of flesh is not capable of seeing them, 
nor this ear of hearing them, nor this heart of under- 



60 

standing them : but there the eye, and ear, and heart are 
made capable : else how do they enjoy them ? The more 
perfect the sight is, the more delightful the beautiful 
object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the 
food. The more musical the ear, the more pleasant the 
melody. The more perfect the soul, the more joyous 
those joys, and the more glorious to us is that glory. 

8. (4.) The principal part of this rest, is our nearest 
enjoyment of God the chief good. And here, reader, 
wonder not if I be at a loss ; and if my apprehensions 
receive but little of that which is in my expressions. If it 
did not appear, to the beloved disciple, what we shall be, 
but only in general, " that when Christ shall appear we 
shall be like him," no wonder if I know little. When I 
know so little of God, I cannot much know what it is to 
enjoy him. If I know so little of spirits, how little of the 
Father of spirits, or the state of my own soul, when 
advanced to the enjoyment of him ? I stand and look 
upon a heap of ants, and see them all with one view ; they 
know not me, my being, nature, or thoughts, though I am 
their fellow-creature ; how little then must we know of the 
great Creator, though he with one view clearly beholds us 
all ? A glimpse the saints behold as in a glass : which 
makes us capable of some poor, dark apprehensions of 
what we shall behold in glory. If I should tell a worldling 
what the holiness and spiritual joys of the saints on earth 
are, he cannot know ; for grace cannot be clearly known 
without grace : how much less could he conceive it, should 
I tell him of this glory? But to the saints I may be 
somewhat more encouraged to speak ; for grace gives them 
a dark knowledge and slight taste of glory. If men and 
angels should study to speak the blessedness of that state 
in one word, what could they say beyond this, that it is 
the nearest enjoyment of God ? O the full joys offered to 






6i 

a believer in that one sentence of Christ, " Father, I will 
that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I 
am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given 
me." Every word is full of life and joy. If the queen of 
Sheba had cause to say of Solomon's glory, " Happy are 
thy men, happy are these thy servants, who stand continually 
before thee, and hear thy wisdom ; " then sure they that 
stand continually before God, and see his glory, and the 
glory of the Lamb, are more than happy. To them will 
Christ give to eat of the tree of life ; and to eat of the 
hidden manna : yea, he will make them pillars in the 
temple of God, and they shall go no more out; and he will 
write upon them the name of his God, and the name of the 
city of his God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh 
down out of heaven from his God, and he will write upon 
them his new name ; yea, more, if more may be, he will 
grant them to sit with him in his throne. " These are 
they who came out of great tribulation, and have washed 
their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb : 
therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him 
day and night in his temple, and he that sitteth on the 
throne shall dwell among them. The Lamb which is in 
the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead 
them unto living fountains of water ; and God shall wipe 
away all tears from their eyes." O blind, deceived world ! 
Can you show us such a glory ? This is the city of our 
God, where the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will 
dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God 
himself shall be with them, and be their God. The glory 
of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 
And there shall be no more curse ; but the throne of God 
and of the Lamb shall be in it ; and his servants shall serve 
him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in 
their foreheads. These sayings are faithful and true, and 



62 

the things which must shortly be done. And now we gay, 
as Mephibosheth, " Let the world take all, for as much as 
our Lord will come in peace." Rejoice therefore in the 
Lord, O ye righteous, and say with his servant David, 
" The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance : the lines 
are fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly 
heritage. I have set the Lord always before me : because 
he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore 
my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth ; my flesh also 
shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, 
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 
Thou wilt show me the path of life ; in thy presence is 
fullness of joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures for 
evermore," What presumption would it have been, once 
to have thought or spoke of such a thing, if God had not 
spoken it before us 1 I durst not have thought of the 
saints' preferment in this life, as Scripture sets it forth, 
had it not been the express truth of God. How indecent 
to talk of being sons of God — speaking to him — having 
fellowship with him — dwelling in him and he in us : if this 
had not been God's own language, how much less durst 
we have once thought of shining forth as the sun — of being 
joint heirs with Christ — of judging the world — of sitting 
on Christ's throne — of being one in him and the Father, 
if we had not all this from the mouth, and under the hand 
of God ? But hath he said, and shall he not do it ? Hath 
he spoken, and shall he not make it good ? Yes, as the 
Lord God is true, thus shall it be done to the man whom 
Christ delighteth to honor. Be of good cheer, Christian, 
the time is near, when God and thou shalt be near, and as 
near as thou canst well desire. Thou shalt dwell in his 
family. Is that enough 1 It is better to be a door-keeper 
in the house of God, than to dwell in the tents of 
wickedness. Thou shalt ever stand before him, about his 



63 

throne, in the room with him, in his presence-chamber. 
Wouldst thou yet be nearer ? Thou shalt be his child, 
and he thy Father ; thou shalt be an heir of his kingdom ; 
yea, more, the spouse of his Son. And what more canst 
thou desire ? Thou shalt be a member of the body of his 
Son ; he shall be thy head ; thou shalt be one with him, 
who is one with the Father, as he himself hath desired for 
thee of his Father, "that they all may be one, as thou, 
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be 
one in us ; and the glory which thou gavest me, I have 
given them, that they may be one, even as we are one ; I 
in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in 
one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, 
and hast loved them as thou hast loved me." 

9. (5.) We must add, that this rest contains a sweet 
and constant action of all the powers of the soul and body 
in this enjoyment of God. It is not the rest of a stone, 
which ceaseth from all motion when it attains the centre. 
This body shall be so changed, that it shall no more be 
flesh and blood, which cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; 
but a spiritual body. We saw not that body that shall be, 
but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to 
every seed his own body. If grace makes a Christian 
differ so much from what he was, as to say, I am not the 
man I was ; how much more will glory make us differ ? 
As much as a body spiritual, above the sun in glory, 
exceeds these frail, noisome, diseased lumps of flesh, so 
far shall our senses exceed those we now possess. Doubtless 
as God advanceth our senses, and enlargeth our capacity, 
so will he advance the happiness of those senses, and fill 
up with himself all that capacity. Certainly the body 
should not be raised up and continued, if he should not 
share in the glory. As it hath shared in the obedience 
and sufferings, so shall it also in the blessedness. As 



64 

Christ bought the whole man, so shall the whole partake 
of the everlasting benefits of the purchase. O blessed 
employment of a glorified body ? to stand before the throne 
of God and the Lamb, and to sound forth for ever, " Thou 
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and 
power. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive 
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, 
and glory, and blessing ; for thou hast redeemed us to 
God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation ; and hast made us unto our God kings 
and priests. Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, 
and power, unto the Lord our God. Alleluia, for the Lord 
God omnipotent reigneth." O Christians ! this is the 
blessed rest ; a rest, as it were, without rest : for " they 
rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God 
Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." And if the 
body shall be thus employed, O, how shall the soul be 
taken up ? As its powers and capacities are greatest, so 
its actions are strongest, and its enjoyments sweetest. As 
the bodily senses have their proper actions, whereby they 
receive and enjoy their objects, so does the soul in its own 
actions enjoy its own objects, by knowing, remembering, 
loving, and delightful joying. This is the soul's enjoyment. 
By these eyes it sees, and by these arms it embraces. 

10. Knowledge of itself is very desirable. As far as the 
rational soul exceeds the sensitive, so far the delights of a 
philosopher, in discovering the secrets of nature, and 
knowing the mystery of sciences, exceed the delights of 
the glutton, the drunkard, the unclean, and of all voluptu- 
ous sensualists whatsoever. So excellent is all truth. 
What then is their delight who know the God of truth ? 
How noble a faculty of the soul is the understanding 1 It 
can compass the earth ; it can measure the sun, moon, 
stars, and heaven ; it can foreknow each eclipse to a 



65 

minute, many years before. But this is the top of all its 
excellency, that it can know God, who is infinite, who 
made all these, a little here, and more, much more 
hereafter. O the wisdom and goodness of our blessed 
Lord ! He hath created the understanding with a natural 
bias and inclination to truth, as its object ; and to the 
prime truth, as its prime object. Christian, when, after 
long gazing heavenward, thou hast got a glimpse of Christ, 
dost thou not sometimes seem to have been with Paul in 
the third heaven, whether in the body, or out, and to have 
seen what is unutterable 1 Art thou not, with Peter, ready 
to say, " Master, it is good to be here 1 " " O that I might 
dwell in this mount ! O that I might ever see what I now 
see ! " Didst thou never look so long upon the Sun of 
Righteousness, till thine eyes were dazzled with his 
astonishing glory 1 And did not the splendor of it make 
all things below seem black and dark to thee ? Especially 
in the day of suffering for Christ, when he usually appears 
most manifestly to his people, didst thou never see one 
walking in the midst of the fiery furnace with thee, like 
the Son of God? Believe me, Christians, yea, believe 
God ; you that have known most of God in Christ here, it 
is as nothing to what you shall know : it scarce, in 
comparison of that, deserves to be called knowledge. For 
as these bodies, so that knowledge must cease, that a more 
perfect may succeed. Knowledge shall vanish away. "For 
we know in part. But when that which is perfect is come, 
then that which is in part shall be done away. When I 
was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I 
thought as a child ; but when I became a man, I put away 
childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly, 
but then face to face ; now I know in part, but then shall 
I know even as also I am known." Marvel not therefore, 
Christian, how it can be Life eternal, to know God, and 
7 



66 

Jesus Christ. To enjoy God and Christ, is eternal life ; 
and the soul's enjoying is in knowing. They that savor 
only of earth, and consult with flesh, think it a poor 
happiness to know God. But " we know that we are of 
God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness : and we 
know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an 
understanding, that we may know him that is true : and 
we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. 
This is the true God, and eternal life." 

11. The memory will not be idle, or useless, in this 
blessed work. From that height the saint can look be- 
hind him, and before him. And to compare past with 
present things, must needs raise in the blessed soul an 
inconceivable esteem and sense of its condition. To 
stand on that mount, whence we can see the Wilderness 
and Canaan, both at once ; to stand in Heaven, and look 
back on earth, and weigh them together in the balance of 
a comparing sense and judgment, how must it needs 
transport the soul, and make it cry out, " Is this the pur- 
chase that cost so dear as the blood of Christ ? No 
wonder. O blessed price ! and thrice blessed love, that 
invented, and condescended ! Is this the end of believing ? 
Is this the end of the Spirit's workings ? Have the gales 
of grace blown me into such an harbor ? Is it hither 
that Christ hath allured my soul ! O blessed way, and 
thrice blessed end ! Is this the glory which the Scrip- 
tures spoke of, and ministers preached of so much 1 I 
see the gospel is indeed good tidings, even tidings of peace 
and good things, tidings of great joy to all nations. Is 
my mourning, my fasting, my sad humblings, my heavy 
walking come to this ? Is my praying, watching, fearing 
to offend, come to this ? Are all my afflictions, Satan's 
temptations, the world's scorns and jeers come to this ? 
O vile nature, that resisted so much, and so long, such a 



67 

blessing ! Unworthy soul, is this the place thou earnest 
so unwillingly to? Was duty wearisome? Was the 
world too good to lose ? Didst thou stick at leaving all, 
denying all, and suffering any thing, for this ? Wast thou 
loath to die, to come to this ? O false heart, thou hadst 
almost betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this 
glory ! Art thou not now ashamed, my soul, that ever thou 
didst question, that love which brought thee hither ? that 
thou wast jealous of the faithfulness of thy Lord? that 
thou suspectedst his love, when thou shouldst only have 
suspected thyself? that ever thou didst quench a motion of 
his Spirit ? and that thou shouldst misinterpret those prov- 
idences, and repine at those ways, which have such 
an end ? Now thou art sufficiently convinced, that thy 
blessed Redeemer, was saving thee, as well when he crossed 
thy desires, as when he granted them ; when he broke thy 
heart, as when he bound it up. No thanks to thee, un- 
worthy self, for this received crown ; but to Jehovah, and 
the Lamb, be glory for ever." 

12. But, O ! the full, the near, the sweet enjoyment, is 
that of love. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, 
dwelleth in God, and God in him. Now the poor soul 
complains, " O that I could love Christ more!" Then, 
thou canst not choose but love him. Now thou knowest 
little of his amiableness, and therefore lovest little : then, 
thine eyes will affect thy heart, and the continual viewing 
of that perfect beauty will keep thee in continual transports 
of love. Christians, doth it not now stir up your love, to 
remember all the experiences of his love ? Doth not 
kindness melt you, and the sunshine of divine goodness 
warm your frozen hearts ? What will it do then, when 
you shall live in love, and have all in him, who is all ? 
Surely love is both work and wages. What a high favor, 
that God will give us leave to love him ! That he will be 



68 

embraced by those, who have embraced lust and sin before 
him ! But more than this, he returned love for love ; nay, 
a thousand times more. Christian, thou wilt then be 
brim-full of love ; yet, love as much as thou canst, thou 
shalt be ten thousand times more beloved. Were the arms 
of the Son of God open upon the cross, and an open pas- 
sage made to his heart by the spear, and will not his arms 
and heart be open to thee in glory ? Did he begin to love 
before thou lovedst, and will not he continue now ? Did 
he love thee, an enemy ? Thee, a sinner ? Thee, who 
even loathedst thyself? and own thee, when thou didst 
disclaim thyself? And will he not now immeasurably 
love thee, a son ? Thee, a perfect saint ? Thee, who 
returnedst some love for love ? He that in love wept over 
the old Jerusalem when near its ruin, with what love will 
he rejoice over the new Jerusalem in her glory ? Chris- 
tian, believe this, and think on it — thou shalt be eternally 
embraced in the arms of that love, which was from ever- 
lasting, and will extend to everlasting ; of that love which 
brought the Son of God's love from heaven to earth, from 
earth to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the 
grave to glory; that love, which was weary, hungry, 
tempted, scorned, scourged, buffeted, spit upon, crucified, 
pierced ; which did fast, pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, 
bleed, die ; — that love will eternally embrace thee. When 
perfect created love, and most perfect uncreated love, 
meet together, it will not be like Joseph and his brethren, 
who lay upon one another's necks weeping : it will be 
loving and rejoicing, not loving and sorrowing. Yet it 
will make Satan's court ring with the news, that Joseph's 
brethren are come, that the saints are arrived safe at the 
bosom of Christ, out of the reach of hell for ever. Nor is 
there any such love as David's and Jonathan's breathing 
out its last into sad lamentations for a forced separation. 



69 

Know this, believer, to thy everlasting comfort, if those 
arms have once embraced thee, neither sin, nor hell, can 
get thee thence for ever. Thou hadst not to deal with an 
inconstant creature, but with him "with whom is no 
variableness, nor shadow of turning." His love to thee 
will not be as thine was on earth to him, seldom, and cold, 
up and down. He that would not cease nor abate his 
love, for all thine enmity, unkind neglects, and churlish 
resistances, can he cease to love thee, when he had made 
thee truly lovely ? He that keepeth thee so constant in 
thy love to him, that thou canst challenge tribulation, 
distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword, 
to separate thy love from Christ, how much more will 
himself be constant ? Indeed thou may est be " persuaded, 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to 
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus 
our Lord." And now are we not left in the apostle's 
admiration, " What shall we say to these things ? " Infinite 
love must needs be a mystery to a finite capacity. No 
wonder angels desire to look into this mystery. And if it 
be the study of saints here, to know the breadth, and length, 
and depth, and height, "of the love of Christ, which 
passeth knowledge;" the saints 5 everlasting rest must 
consist in the enjoyment of God by love. 

13. Nor hath joy the least share in this fruition. It is 
that, which all the former lead to, and conclude in ; even 
the inconceivable complacency which the blessed feel in 
their seeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of God. 
This is the white stone which no man knoweth, saving he 
that receiveth it. Surely this is the joy which a stranger 
doth not intermeddle with. All Christ's ways of mercy 
tend to, and end in the saints' joys. He wept, sorrowed, 
7* 



70 

suffered, that they might rejoice ; he sendeth the Spirit to 
be their Comforter ; he multiplies promises ; he discovers 
their future happiness, that their joy may be full. He 
opens to them the fountain of living waters, that they may 
thirst no more, and that it may spring up in them to 
everlasting life. He chastens them, that he may give 
them rest. He makes it their duty to rejoice in him 
alway, and again commands them to rejoice. He never 
brings them into so low a condition, wherein he does not 
leave them more cause of joy than sorrow. And hath the 
Lord such a care of our comfort here 1 O what will that 
joy be, where the soul, being perfectly prepared for joy, 
and joy prepared by Christ for the soul, it shall be our 
work, our business, eternally to rejoice ! It seems the 
saints' joy shall be greater than the damned' s torment : for 
their torment is the torment of creatures, prepared for the 
devil and his angels ; but our joy is the joy of our Lord. 
The same glory which the Father gave the Son, the Son 
hath given them, to sit with him in his throne, even as he 
is set down with his Father in his throne. Thou, poor 
soul, who prayest for joy, waitest for joy, complainest for 
want of joy, longest for joy ; thou then shalt have full joy, 
as much as thou canst hold, and more than ever thou 
thoughtest on, or thy heart desired. In the mean time, 
walk carefully, watch constantly, and then let God measure 
out to thee thy times and degrees of joy. It may be he 
keeps them until thou hast more need. Thou hadst better 
lose thy comfort than thy safety. If thou shouldst die full 
of fears and sorrows, it will be but a moment, and they 
are all gone, and concluded in joy inconceivable. As the 
joy of the hypocrite, so the fears of the upright are but for 
a moment. " God's anger endureth but a moment; in his 
favor is life ; weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
cometh in the morning." O blessed morning ! Poor, 



71 

humble, drooping soul, how would it fill thee with joy now, 
if a voice from heaven should tell thee of the love of God, 
the pardon of thy sins, and assure thee of thy part in these 
joys ! What then will thy joy be, when thy actual 
possession shall convince thee of thy title, and thou shalt 
be in heaven before thou art well aware ? 

14. And it is not tliy joy only; it is a mutual joy, 
as well as a mutual love. Is there joy in heaven at thy 
conversion, and will there be none at thy glorification? 
Will not the angels welcome thee thither, and congratulate 
thy safe arrival 1 — Yea, it is the joy of Jesus Christ ; for 
now he hath the end of his undertaking, labor, suffering, 
dying, when we have our joys ; when he is glorified in his 
saints, and admired in all them that believe ; when he 
sees of the travail of his soul, and is satisfied. This is 
Christ's harvest, when he shall reap the fruit of his labors ; 
and it will not repent him concerning his sufferings, but he 
will rejoice over his purchased inheritance, and his people 
will rejoice in him. — Yea, the Father himself puts on joy 
too. in our joy. As we grieve his Spirit, and weary him 
with our iniquities, so he is rejoiced in our good. O how 
quickly does he now spy a returning prodigal, even afar 
off! How does he run and meet him ! And with what 
compassion does he fall on his neck, and kiss him, and put 
on him the best robe, and a ring on his hand, and shoes 
on his feet, and kills the fatted calf to eat and be merry. 
This is indeed a happy meeting ; but nothing to the 
embracing and joy of that last and great meeting. Yea, 
more ; as God doth mutually love and joy, so he makes 
this His rest, as it is our rest. What an eternal Sabbatism, 
when the work of redemption, sanctification, preservation, 
glorification, is all finished, and perfected forever ! " The 
Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty ; he will save, 
he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, 



72 

he will joy over thee with singing." Well may we then 
rejoice in our God with joy, and rest in our love, and joy 
in him with singing. 

15. Alas ! my fearful heart scarce dares proceed. 
Methinks I hear the Almighty's voice saying to me, " Who 
is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? " 
But pardon thy servant, O Lord, I have not pried into 
unrevealed things. I bewail that my apprehensions are so 
dull, my thoughts so mean, my affections so stupid, and 
my expressions so low, and unbeseeming such a glory. I 
have only heard by the hearing of the ear ; O, let thy 
servant see thee and possess these joys ; and then shall I 
have more suitable conceptions, and shall give thee fuller 
glory ; I shall abhor my present self, and disclaim and 
renounce all these imperfections — " I have uttered that I 
understood not, things too wonderful for me, which I know 
not." Yet "I believed, and therefore have I spoken." 
What, Lord, canst thou expect from dust but levity ? or 
from corruption but defilement? Though the weakness and 
irreverence be the fruit of my own corruption, yet the fire 
is from thine altar, and the work of thy commanding. 
I looked not into thy ark, nor put forth my hand unto it, 
without thee. Wash away these stains also in the blood 
of the Lamb. Imperfect, or none, must be thy service 
here. O take thy Son's excuse — " The spirit is willing, 
but the flesh is weak." 






73 



CHAPTER II. 

The great Preparatives to the Saints 1 Rest. 

Sect. 1. The happiness of Christians in having a way open into 
paradise. There are four things which principally prepare the 
way to enter into it; 2, 3. particularly, (1.) The glorious appear- 
ing of Christ ; 4. .(2.) The general resurrection ; 5 — 8. (3.) The 
last judgment; 9, 10, and, (4.) The saint's coronation; 11= 
Transition to the subject of the next chapter. 

1. The passage of paradise is not now so blocked up, 
as when the law and curse reigned. Wherefore find- 
ing, beloved Christians, a new and living way consecrated 
for us, through the vail, that is to say, the flesh of Christ, 
by which we may, with boldness enter into the holiest, I 
shall draw near with fuller assurance. And finding the 
flaming sword removed, shall look again into the paradise 
of our God. And because I know that this is no for- 
bidden fruit, and withal that it is good for food, and pleas- 
ant to the spiritual eyes, and a tree to be desired to make 
one truly wise and happy, I shall, through the assistance 
of the Spirit, take and eat thereof myself, and give to you 
according to my power, that you may eat. The porch of 
this temple is exceeding glorious, and the gate of it is 
called Beautiful. Here are four things, as the four cor- 
ners of this porch. Here is the most glorious coming and 
appearance of the Son of God ; — that great work of Jesus 
Christ in raising our bodies from the dust, and uniting 
them again to the soul ; — the public and solemn process at 
their judgment, where they shall first themselves be ac- 
quitted and justified, and then with Christ judge the 



74 

World; — together with their solemn coronation, and re- 
ceiving the kingdom. 

2. (1.) The most glorious coming and appearance of 
the Son of God may well be reckoned in his people's 
glory. For their sake he came into the world, suffered, 
died, rose, ascended ; and for their sake it is that he will 
return. To this end will Christ come again to receive 
his people unto himself, that where he is, there they may 
be also. The bridegroom's departure was not upon di- 
vorce. He did not leave us with a purpose to return no 
more. He hath left pledges enough to assure us to the 
contrary. We have his word, his many promises, his 
sacraments, which show forth his death till he come ; and 
his Spirit, to direct, sanctify, and comfort, till he return. 
We have frequent tokens of love from him, to show us he 
forgets not his promise, nor us. We daily behold the 
forerunners of his coming, foretold by himself. We see 
the fig-tree putteth forth leaves, and therefore know that 
summer is nigh. Though the riotous world say, " My 
Lord delayeth his coming ; " yet let the saints lift up their 
heads, for their redemption draweth nigh. Alas, fellow- 
Christians, what should we do if our Lord should not 
return? What a case are we here left inl What! leave 
us in the midst of wolves, and among lions, a generation 
of vipers, and here forget us 1 Did he buy us so dear, and 
then leave us sinning, suffering, groaning, dying daily, 
and will he come no more to us 1 It cannot be. This is 
like our unkind dealing with Christ, who, when we feel 
ourselves warm in the world, care not for coming to him : 
but this is not like Christ's dealing with us. He that 
would come to suffer, will surely come to triumph. He 
that would come to purchase, will surely come to possess. 
Where else were all our hopes'? What were become of 
our faith, our prayers, our tears, and our waiting 1 What 



75 

were all the patience of the saints worth to them 1 Were 
we not left of all men the most miserable ? Christians, 
hath Christ made us forsake all the world, and be for- 
saken of all the world ? to hate all, and be hated of all ? 
and all this for him that we might have him, instead of 
all ? And will he, think you, after all this, forget us, and 
forsake us himself? Far be such a thought from our 
hearts ! But why staid he not with his people while he 
was here ? Why ? Was not the work on earth done ? 
Must he not take possession of glory in our behalf? Must 
he not intercede with the Father, plead his sufferings, be 
filled with the Spirit to send forth, receive authority, and 
subdue his enemies ? Our abode here is short. If he 
had staid on earth, what would it have been to enjoy him 
for a few days, and then die ? He hath more in heaven 
to dwell among ; even the spirits of many generations. 
He will have us live by faith, and not by sight. 

3. O fellow-Christians, what a day will that be, when 
we, who have been kept prisoners by sin, by sinners, by 
the grave, shall be fetched out by the Lord himself! It 
will not be such a coming as his first was, in poverty and 
contempt, to be spit upon, and buffeted, and crucified 
again. He will not come, O careless world ! to be slight- 
ed and neglected by you any more. Yet that coming 
wanted not its glory. If the heavenly host, for the cele- 
bration of his nativity, must praise God, with what shout- 
ings will angels and saints at that day proclaim glory to 
God, peace and good-will towards men ! If a star must 
lead men from remote parts of the world to come to wor- 
ship a child in a manger, how will the glory of his next 
appearing constrain all the world to acknowledge his 
sovereignty ! If, riding on an ass, he enter Jerusalem 
with hosannas, with what peace and glory will he come 
toward the New Jerusalem ! If, when he was in the form 



76 

of a servant, they cry out, " What manner of man is this, 
that even the winds and the sea obey him 1 " what will 
they say, when they shall see him coming in his glory, 
and the heavens and the earth obey him ! " Then shall 
all the tribes of the earth mourn." To think and speak 
of that day with horror, doth well beseem the impenitent 
sinner, but ill the believing saint. Shall the wicked be- 
hold him, and cry, " Yonder is he whose blood we 
neglected, whose grace we resisted, whose counsel we 
refused, whose government we cast off?" And shall not 
the saints, with inconceivable gladness, cry, " Yonder is 
he whose blood redeemed us, whose Spirit cleansed us, 
whose law did govern us, in whom we trusted, and he 
hath not deceived our trust ; for whom we long waited, 
and now we see we have not waited in vain ! O cursed 
corruption ! that would have had us turn to the world, and 
present things, and say, Why should we wait for the Lord 
any longer 1 Now we see, Blessed are all they that wait 
for him." And now, Christians, should we not put up 
that petition heartily, " Thy kingdom come ? The Spirit 
and the bride say, Come : and let him that heareth," and 
readeth, " say, Come." Our Lord himself says, "Surely 
I come quickly, Amen : even so, come, Lord Jesus." 

4. (2.) Another thing that leads to paradise is, that 
great work of Jesus Christ, in raising our bodies from the 
dust, and uniting them again unto the soul. A wonderful 
effect of infinite power and love ! Yea, wonderful indeed, 
says unbelief, if it be true. What ! shall all these scat- 
tered bones and dust become a man ? — Let me with rever- 
ence plead for God, for that power whereby I hope to 
arise. What beareth the massy body of the earth 1 What 
limits the vast ocean of the waters ? Whence is that con- 
stant ebbing and flowing of the tides? How many times 
bigger than all the earth is the sun, that glorious body of 



77 

light ? Is it not as easy to raise the dead, as to make 
heaven and earth, and all of nothing 1 — Look not on the 
dead bones, and dust, and difficulty, but at the promise. 
Contentedly commit these carcasses to a prison that shall 
not long contain them. Let us lie down in peace, and 
take our rest ; it will not be an everlasting night, nor 
endless sleep. If unclothing be the thing thou fearest, it 
is that thou mayest have better clothing. If to be turned 
out of doors be the thing thou fearest, remember that 
when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, 
thou hast a building of God, an house not made with 
hands, eternal in the heavens. Lay down cheerfully this 
lump of corruption ; thou shalt undoubtedly receive it 
again in incorruption. Lay down freely this terrestrial, 
this natural body ; thou shalt receive it again a celestial, 
a spiritual body. Though thou lay it down with great 
dishonor, thou shalt receive it in glory. Though thou art 
separated from it through weakness, it shall be raised 
again in mighty power — In a moment, in the twinkling of 
an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, 
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall 
be changed. " The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then 
they who are alive and remain, shall be caught up to- 
gether with thern in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
air." Triumph now, O Christian, in these promises ; 
thou shalt shortly triumph in their performance. This is 
the day which the Lord will make, we shall rejoice and be 
glad in it. The grave, that could not keep our Lord, 
cannot keep us. He arose for us, and by the same power 
will cause us to arise. For if we believe that Jesus died, 
and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus, will 
God bring with him. Let us never look at the grave, but 
let us see the resurrection beyond it. " Yea, let us be 
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of 
8 



78 

the Lord, for as much as we know our labor is not in vain 
in the Lord." 

5. (3.) Part of this prologue to the saint's rest, is the 
public and solemn process at their judgment, where they 
shall first themselves be acquitted and justified, and then 
with Christ judge the world. Young and old, of all 
estates and nations, that ever were from the creation to 
that day, must here come, and receive their doom. O 
terrible ! O joyful day ! Terrible to those that have forgot 
the coming of their Lord ! Joyful to the saints, whose 
waiting and hope was to see this day ! Then shall the 
world behold the goodness and severity of God : on them 
who perish, severity ; but to his chosen, goodness. Every 
one must give an account of his stewardship. Every 
talent of time, health, wit, mercies, afflictions, means, 
warnings, must be reckoned for. The sins of youth, 
those which they had forgotten, and their secret sins, shall 
all be laid open before angels and men. They shall see 
the Lord Jesus, whom they neglected, whose word they 
disobeyed, whose ministers they abused, whose servants 
they hated, now sitting to judge them. Their own con- 
sciences shall cry out against them, and call to their re- 
membrance all their misdoings. Which way will the 
wretched sinner look? Who can conceive the terrible 
thoughts of his heart 1 Now the world cannot help him ; 
his old companions cannot; the saints neither can nor 
will. Only the Lord Jesus can ; but, there is the misery, 
he will not. Time was, sinner, when Christ would, and 
you would not ; now, fain would you, and he will not. 
All in vain, to cry to the mountains and rocks, Fall on 
us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the 
throne ; for thou hast the Lord of mountains and rocks 
for thine enemy, whose voice they will obey, and not 
thine. I charge thee therefore, before God, and the Lord 



79 

Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at 
his appearing, and his kingdom, that thou set thyself 
seriously to ponder on these things. 

6. But why tremblest thou, O humble gracious soul? 
He that would not lose one Noah in a common deluge, 
nor overlook one Lot in Sodom : nay, that could do 
nothing till he went forth ; will he forget thee at that day ? 
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of tempt- 
ations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment 
to be punished. He knoweth how to make the same day 
the greatest terror to his foes, and yet the greatest joy to 
his people. " There is no condemnation to them that are 
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
Spirit." " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
elect?" Shall the law? The law of the spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus, hath made them free from the law of sin and 
death. Or shall conscience? The Spirit itself beareth 
witness with their spirit, that they are the children of 
God. " It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemn- 
eth?" If our Judge condemn us not, who shall ? He that 
said to the adulterous woman, " Hath no man condemned 
thee ? Neither do I ; " will say to us, more faithfully than 
Peter to him, " Though all men deny thee, or condemn 
thee, I will not." Having confessed me before men, 
thee "will I also confess before my Father who is in 
heaven." 

7. What inexpressible joy, that our dear Lord, who 
loveth our souls, and whom our souls love, shall be our 
Judge ! Will a man fear to be judged by his dearest 
friend ? Or a wife by her own husband ? Christian, did 
Christ come down and suffer, and weep, and bleed, and 
die for thee, and will he now condemn thee ? Was he 
judged, condemned, and executed in thy stead, and now 
will he condemn thee himself? Hath he done most of the 



80 

work already, in redeeming, regenerating, sanctifying; 
and preserving thee, and will he now undo all again ? 
Well then, let the terror of that day be never so great, 
surely our Lord can mean no ill to us in all. Let it 
make the devils tremble, and the wicked tremble ; but it 
shall make us leap for joy. It must needs affect us deeply 
with the sense of our mercy and happiness, to see the 
most of the world tremble with terror, while we triumph 
with joy ; to hear them doomed to everlasting flames, 
when we are proclaimed heirs of the kingdom ; to see our 
neighbors that lived in the same towns, came to the same 
congregation, dwelt in the same houses, and were esteem- 
ed more honorable in the world than ourselves, now by 
the Searcher of hearts eternally separated. This, with 
the great magnificence and dreadfulness of the day, the 
apostle pathetically expresses: "It is a righteous thing 
with God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble 
you : and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the 
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty 
angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that 
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting 
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the 
glory of his power ; when he shall come to be glorified in 
his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe in 
that day." 

8. Yet more, we shall be so far from the dread of that 
judgment, that ourselves shall become the judges. Christ 
will take his people, as it were, into commission with him- 
self, and they shall sit and approve his righteous judg- 
ment. Do you not know that the saints will judge the 
world ? Nay, M know ye not that we shall judge angels ?" 
Were it not for the word of Christ that speaks it, this 
advancement would seem incredible, and the language 



81 

arrogant. Even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophe- 
sied this, saying, " Behold the Lord cometh with ten 
thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and 
to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their 
ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and 
of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have 
spoken against him." Thus shall the saints be honored, 
and the upright shall have dominion in the morning. O 
that the careless world " were wise, that they understood 
this, that they would consider their latter end." That 
they would be now of the same mind as they will be, 
when they shall see the heavens pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements melt with fervent heat, and the 
earth also, and the works that are therein, burnt up! 
When all shall be in fire about their ears, and all earthly 
glory consumed. For the heavens and the earth, which 
are now, are reserved unto fire against the day of judg- 
ment, and perdition of ungodly men. " Seeing then that 
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of per- 
sons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 
looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
God, wherein the heavens being on fire, shall be dissolved, 
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat 1 " 

9. (4.) The last preparative to the saints' rest is their 
solemn coronation, and receiving the kingdom. For, as 
Christ their Head, is anointed both King and Priest, so 
under him are his people made unto God both kings and 
priests, to reign, and to offer praises forever. The crown 
of righteousness, which was laid up for them, shall by the 
Lord the righteous Judge be given them at that day. 
They have been faithful unto death, and therefore he will 
give them a crown of life. And according to the improve- 
ment of their talents here, so shall their rule and dignity 
be enlarged. They are not dignified with empty titles, 
8* 



82 

but real dominion. Christ will grant them to sit with 
him on his throne; and will give them power over the 
nations, even as he received of his Father ; and he " will 
give them the morning star." The Lord himself will 
give them possession with these applauding expressions ; 
" Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over 
many things ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

10. And with this solemn and blessed proclamation 
shall he enthrone them : " Come ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 

of the world." Every word is full of life and joy. 

Come — this is the holding forth of the golden sceptre, to 
warrant our approach unto this glory. Come now as near 
as you will ; fear not the Bethshemite's judgment ; for the 
enmity is utterly abolished. This is not such a Come as 
we were wont to hear, " Come, take up your cross, and 
follow me." Though that was sweet, yet this much 

more.- Ye blessed — Blessed indeed, when that mouth 

shall so pronounce us ! For though the world hath ac- 
counted us accursed, and we have been ready to account 
ourselves so ; yet certainly those that he blesseth, are 
blessed ; and those whom he curseth, only are cursed, and 
his blessing cannot be reversed. Of my Father — bless- 
ed in the Father's love, as well as the Son's, for they are 
one. The Father hath testified his love in their election, 
donation to Christ, sending of Christ, and accepting his 
ransom, as the Son hath also testified his. Inherit- 
No longer bondmen, nor servants only, nor children under 
age, who differ not in possession, but only in title, from 
servants ; but now we are heirs of the kingdom, and joint 

heirs with Christ. The kingdom — No less than the 

kingdom ! Indeed to be King of kings, and Lord of 
lords, is our Lord's own proper title : but to be kings, 



83 

and reign with him, is ours. The enjoyment of this king- 
dom is, as the light of this sun ; each have the whole, and 

the rest never the less. Prepared for you — God is the 

Alpha, as well as the Omega of our blessedness. Eternal 
love hath laid the foundation. He prepared the kingdom 
for us, and then prepared us for the kingdom. This is 
the preparation of his counsel and decree ; for the execu- 
tion whereof Christ was yet to make a further prepara- 
tion. For you — Not for believers only in general, who, 

without individual persons, are nobody ; but for you per- 
sonally. From the foundation of the world — Not only 

from the promise after Adam's fall, but from eternity. 

11. Thus we have seen the Christian safely landed in 
paradise, and conveyed honorably to his rest. Now let us 
a little further, in the next chapter, view those mansions, 
consider their privileges, and see whether there be any 
glory like unto this glory. 



84 



CHAPTER III. 

The Excellencies of the Saints' Rest. 

Sect. 1. The excellencies of the Saints' Rest are enumerated. 
2. (1.) It is the purchased possession. 3, 4. (2.) A free gift. 5. 
(3.) Peculiar to Saints. 6. (4.) An association with saints and 
angels. 7. (5.) It derives its joys immediately from God himself, 
8. (6.) It will be seasonable. 9. (7.) Suitable. 10—12. (8.) 
Perfect, without sin and suffering. 13. (9.) And everlasting. 
14. The chapter concludes with a serious address to the reader. 

1. Let us draw a little nearer, and see what further 
excellencies this rest affordeth. The Lord hide us in the 
clefts of the rock, and cover us with the hands of indul- 
gent grace, while we approach to take this view ! This 
rest is excellent for being — a purchased possession, — a 
free gift, — peculiar to saints, — an association with saints 
and angels, — yet deriving its joys immediately from God : 
— and because it will be a seasonable — suitable — perfect 
— and eternal rest. 

2. (1.) It is a most singular honor of the saints' rest, 
to be called the purchased possession. That is, the fruit 
of the blood of the Son of God ; yea the chief fruit, the 
end and perfection of all the fruits and efficacy of that 
blood. Greater love than this there is not, to lay down 
the life of the lover. And to have this our Redeemer 
ever before our eyes, and the liveliest sense and freshest 
remembrance of that dying, bleeding love still upon our 
souls ! How will it fill our souls with perpetual joy, to 
think, that in the streams of this blood we have swam 
through the violence of the world, the snares of Satan, 



85 

the seducements of flesh, the curse of the law, the wrath 
of an offended God, the accusations of a guilty conscience, 
and the vexing doubts and fears of an unbelieving heart, 
and are arrived safe at the presence of God ! Now, he 
cries to us, Is it "nothing to you, all ye that pass by 1 
behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sor- 
row ! " and we scarce regard the mournful voice, nor 
scarce turn aside to view the wounds. But then our per- 
fected souls will feel, and flame in love for love. With 
what astonishing apprehensions will redeemed saints ever- 
lastingly behold their blessed Redeemer ! the purchaser, 
and the price, together, with the possession ! Neither 
will the view of his wounds of love, renew our wounds of 
sorrow. He, whose first words after his resurrection were 
to a great sinner, "Woman, why weepest thou?" knows 
how to raise love and joy, without any cloud of sorrow, or 
storm of tears. If any thing we enjoy was purchased with 
the life of our dearest friend, how highly should we value 
it ? If a dying friend deliver us but a token of his love, 
how carefully do we preserve it! And still remember 
him when we behold it, as if his own name were written 
on it ! And will not then the death and blood of our Lord 
everlastingly sweeten our possessed glory ? As we write 
down the price our goods cost us ; so on our righteousness 
and glory, write down the price, the precious blood of 
Christ. His sufferings were to satisfy the justice that re- 
quired blood, and to bear what was due to sinners, and so 
to restore them to the life they lost, and the happiness 
they fell from. The work of Christ's redemption so well 
pleased the Father, that he gave him power to advance 
his chosen, and give them the glory which was given to 
himself, and all this " according to his good pleasure, and 
the counsel of his own will." 

3. (2.) Another pearl in the saints' diadem is, that it is 



86 

a free gift. These two, purchased and free, are the chains 
of gold which make up the wreaths for the tops of the pil- 
lars in the temple of God. It was dear to Christ, but free 
to us. When Christ was to buy, silver and gold were 
nothing worth : prayers and tears could not suffice, nor 
any thing below his blood : but our buying is receiving : 
we have it freely, without money, and without price. A 
thankful acceptance of a free acquittance, is no paying of 
the debt. Here is all free : if the Father freely give the 
Son, and the Son freely pay the debt : and if God freely 
accepts that way of payment, when he might have required 
it of the principal : and if both Father and Son freely 
offer us the purchased life on our cordial acceptance, and 
if they freely send the Spirit to enable us to accept ; what 
is here then that is not free ? O the everlasting admira- 
tion that must needs surprise the saints to think of this 
freeness ! " What did the Lord see in me, that he should 
judge me meet for such a state ? That I, who was but a 
poor, diseased, despised wretch, should be clad in the 
brightness of this glory ! That I, a creeping worm, should 
be advanced to this high dignity ! That I, who was but 
lately groaning, weeping, dying, should now be as full of 
joy as my heart can hold' yea, should be taken from the 
grave, where I was rotting, and from the dust and dark- 
ness, where I seemed forgotten, and be here set before his 
throne ! That I should be taken, with Mordecai, from 
captivity, and be set next unto the king ; and, with Daniel, 
from the den, to be made ruler of princes and provinces ! 
Who can fathom unmeasurable love?" If worthiness 
were our condition for admittance, we might sit down and 
weep with St. John, because no man was found worthy. 
But the Lion of the Tribe of Judah is worthy, and hath 
prevailed ; and by that title we must hold the inheritance. 
We shall offer there the offering that David refused, even 



87 

praise for that which cost us nothing. Here our commis- 
sion runs, freely ye have received, freely give ; but Christ 
has dearly bought, yet freely gives. 

4. If it were only for nothing, and without our merit, 
the wonder were great ; but it is moreover against our 
merit, and against our long endeavoring our own ruin. 
What an astonishing thought it will be, to think of the 
immeasurable difference between our deservings and re- 
ceivings ! Between the state we should have been in, 
and the state we are in ! To look down upon hell, and 
see the vast difference that grace hath made between us 
and them ! To see the inheritance there, which we were 
born to, so different from that which we are adopted to ! 
What pangs of love will it cause within us to think, " Yon- 
der was the place that sin would have brought me to, but 
this is it that Christ hath brought me to ! Yonder death 
was the wages of my sin, but this eternal life is the gift of 
God, through Jesus Christ my Lord ! W^ho made me to 
differ 1 Had I not now been in those flames, if I had 
had my own way, and been let alone to my own will? 
Should I not have lingered in Sodom, till the flames had 
seized on me, if God had not in mercy brought me out?" 
Doubtless this will be our everlasting admiration, that so 
rich a crown should fit the head of so vile a sinner ! That 
such high advancement, and such long unfruitfulness and 
unkindness, can be the state of the same person ! And 
that such vile rebellions can conclude in such most pre- 
cious joys ! But no thanks to us, nor to any of our duties 
and labors, much less to our neglects and laziness : we 
know to whom the praise is due, and must be given for ever. 
Indeed to this very end it was, that infinite wisdom cast the 
whole design of man's salvation into this mould of pur- 
chase and freeness, that the love and joy of man might be 
perfected, and the honor of grace most highly advanced ; 



88 

that the thought of merit might neither cloud the one nor 
obstruct -the other ; and that on these two hinges the gate 
of heaven might turn. So then let deserved be written 
on the door of hell, but on the door of heaven and life, 

THE FREE GIFT. 

5. (3.) This rest is peculiar to saints, belongs to no 
other of all the sons of men. If all Egypt had been light, 
the Israelites would not have had the less ; but to enjoy 
that light alone, while their neighbors lived in thick dark- 
ness, must make them more sensible of their privilege. 
Distinguishing mercy affects more than any mercy. If 
Pharaoh had passed as safely as Israel, the Red Sea would 
have been less remembered. If the rest of the world had 
not been drowned, and the rest of Sodom and Gomorrah 
not burned, the saving of Noah had been no wonder, nor 
Lot's deliverance so much talked of. When one is en- 
lightened, and another left in darkness ; one reformed, 
and another by his lust enslaved ; it makes the saints cry 
out, " Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto 
us and not unto the world? " When the prophet is sent 
to one widow only of all that were in Israel, and to cleanse 
one Naaman of all the lepers, the mercy is more observ- 
able. That will surely be a day of passionate sense on 
both sides, when there shall be two in one bed, and two 
in the field, the one taken and the other left. The saints 
shall look down upon the burning lake, and in the sense 
of their own happiness, and in the approbation of God's 
just proceedings, they shall rejoice and sing, " Thou art 
righteous, O Lord, who wast, art, and shall be, because 
thou hast judged thus." 

6. (4.) But though this rest be proper to the saints, 
yet it is common to all the saints ; for it is an association 
of blessed spirits, both saints and angels ; a corporation of 
perfected saints, whereof Christ is the head ; the com- 



89 

munion of saints completed. As we have been together 
in the labor, duty, danger, and distress ; so shall we be 
in the great recompense and deliverance. As we have 
been scorned and despised ; so shall we be owned and 
honored together. We, who have gone through the day 
of sadness, shall enjoy together that day of gladness. 
Those, who have been with us in persecution and prison, 
shall be with us also in that palace of consolation. How 
oft have our groans made, as it were, one sound? our 
tears one stream ? and our desires one prayer 1 But now 
all our praises shall make up one melody ; all our 
churches, one church, and all ourselves, one body; for 
we shall be all one in Christ ; even as he and the Father 
are one. It is true, we must be careful, not to look for 
that in the saints, which is alone in Christ. But if the 
forethought of sitting down with Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, may be our lawful joy ; 
how much more the real sight and actual possession ? It 
cannot choose but be comfortable to think of that day, 
when we shall join with Moses in his song, with David in 
his psalms of praise, and with all the redeemed in the song 
of the Lamb for ever ; when we shall see Enoch walking 
with God ; Noah enjoying the end of his singularity ; Jo- 
seph of his integrity ; Job of his patience ; Hezekiah of 
his uprightness ; and all the saints the end of their faith. 
Not only our old acquaintance, but all the saints, of all 
ages, whose faces in the flesh we never saw, we shall 
there both know and comfortably enjoy. Yea, angels as 
well as saints, will be our blessed acquaintance. Those 
who now are willingly our ministering spirits, will wil- 
lingly then be our companions in joy. They, who had 
such joy in heaven for our conversion, will gladly rejoice 
with us in our glorification. Then we shall truly say, as 
David, "lama companion of all them that fear thee ; " 
9 



90 

when " we are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city 
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an in- 
numerable company of angels : to the general assembly, 
and church of the first-born, who are written in heaven, 
and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men 
made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new cove- 
nant." It is a singular excellence of heavenly rest, that 
" we are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
hold of God." 

7. (5.) As another property of our rest, we shall derive 
its joys immediately from God. Now we have nothing at 
all immediately, but at the second or third hand, or how 
many, who knows? From the earth, from man, from 
sun and moon, from the ministration of angels, and from 
the Spirit, and Christ. Though in the hand of angels, 
the stream savors not of the imperfection of sinners, yet it 
does of the imperfection of creatures; and as it comes 
from man, it savors of both. How quick and piercing is 
the word in itself! Yet many times it never enters, being 
managed by a feeble arm, What weight and worth is 
there in every passage of the blessed gospel ! Enough, 
one would think, to enter and pierce the dullest soul, and 
wholly possess its thoughts and affections ; and yet how 
oft does it fall as water upon a stone ! The things of 
God, which we handle, are divine ; but our manner of 
handling is human. There is little we touch, but we 
leave the print of our fingers behind. If God speak the 
word himself, it will be a piercing, melting word indeed. 
The Christian now knows by experience, that his most 
immediate joys are his sweetest joys ; which have least of 
man, and are most directly from the Spirit. Christians, who 
are much in secret prayer and contemplation, are men of 
greatest life and joy ; because they have all more imme- 
diately from God himself. Not that we should cast off hear- 



91 

ino-, reading, and conference, or neglect any ordinance of 
God ; but to live above them, while we use them, is the way 
of a Christian. There is joy in these remote receivings ; 
but the fullness of joy is in God's immediate presence. We 
shall then have light without a candle, and perpetual day 
without the sun ; for " the city has no need of the sun, 
neither of the moon, to shine in it ; for the glory of God 
lightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof : there shall 
be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light 
of the sun ; and they shall reign for ever and ever." We 
shall then have enlightened understandings without Scrip- 
ture, and be governed without a written law ; for the Lord 
will perfect his law in our hearts, and we shall be all per- 
fectly taught of God. We shall have joy, which we drew 
not from the promises, nor fetched home by faith or hope. 
We shall have communion without sacraments, without 
this fruit of the vine, when Christ shall drink it new with 
us in his Father's kingdom, and refresh us with the com- 
forting wine of immediate enjoyment. To have necessi- 
ties, but no supply, is the case of them in hell. To have 
necessity supplied by means of the creatures, is the case 
of us on earth. To have necessity supplied immediately 
from God is the case of the saints in heaven. To have 
no necessity at all, is the prerogative of God himself. 

8. (6.) A farther excellence of this rest is, that it will 
be seasonable. He that expects the fruit of his vineyard 
at the season, and makes his people " like a tree planted 
by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his 
season," will also give them the crown in his season. He 
that will have a word of joy spoken in season, to him that 
is weary, will surely cause the time of joy to appear in the 
fittest season. They who are not weary in well-doing, 
shall, if they faint not, reap in due season. If God giveth 
rain even to his enemies, both the former and the latter in 



92 

his season, and reserveth the appointed weeks of harvesi f 
and covenants that there shall be day and night in their 
season ; then surely the glorious harvest of the saints shall 
not miss its season. Doubtless he that would not stay a 
day longer than his promise, but brought Israel out of 
Egypt on the self-same day, when the four hundred and 
thirty years were expired ; neither will he fail of one day 
or hour of the fittest season for his people's glory. When 
we have had in this world a long night of darkness, will 
not the day breaking and the rising of the Sun of Right- 
eousness, be then seasonable 1 When we have passed a 
long and tedious journey, through no small dangers, is not 
home then seasonable 1 When we have had a long and 
perilous war, and received many a wound, would not a 
peace with victory be seasonable 1 Men live in a contin- 
ual weariness ; especially the saints, who are most weary 
of that which the world cannot feel. Some weary of a 
blind mind ; some of a hard heart ; some of their daily 
doubts and fears ; some of the want of spiritual joys ; and 
some of the sense of God's wrath. And when a poor 
Christian hath desired and prayed, and waited for deliver- 
ance many years, is it not then seasonable 1 We grudge 
that we do not find a Canaan in the Wilderness ; or the 
songs of Sion in a strange land ; that we have not a 
harbor in the main ocean, nor our rest in the heat of the 
day, nor heaven before we leave the earth ; and would not 
all this be very unseasonable ? 

9. (7.) As this rest will be seasonable, so it will be 
suitable. The new nature of the saints doth suit their 
spirits to this rest. Indeed their holiness is nothing else 
but a spark taken from this element, and by the Spirit of 
Christ kindled in their hearts ; the flame whereof, mind- 
ful of its own divine original, ever tends to the place from 
whence it comes. Temporal crowns and kingdoms could 



93 

not make a rest for saints. As they were not redeemed 
with so low a price, neither are they endued with so low 
a nature. As God will have from them a spiritual wor- 
ship, suited to his own spiritual being, he will provide 
them a spiritual rest, suitable to their spiritual nature. 
The knowledge of God and his Christ, a delightful com- 
placency in that mutual love, an everlasting rejoicing in 
the enjoyment of our God, with a perpetual singing of his 
high praises ; this is a heaven for a saint. Then we shall 
live in our own element. We are now as the fish in a 
vessel of water, only so much as will keep them alive ; 
but what is that to the ocean? We have a little air let 
into us, to afford us breathing ; but what is that to the 
sweet and fresh gales upon Mount Sion ? We have a 
beam of the sun to lighten our darkness, and a warm ray 
to keep us from freezing ; but then we shall live in its 
light, and be revived by its heat for ever. — As the natures 
of saints are, such are their desires ; and it is the desires 
of our renewed nature which this rest is suited to. Whilst 
our desires remain corrupted and misguided, it is a far 
greater mercy to deny them, yea, to destroy them, than to 
satisfy them ; but those which are spiritual are of his own 
planting, and he will surely water them, and give the 
increase. He quickened our hunger and thirst for right- 
eousness, that he might make us happy in a full satisfac- 
tion. Christian, this is a rest after thy own heart ; it 
contains all that thy heart can wish ; that which thou 
longest, prayest, laborest for, there thou shalt find it all. 
Thou hadst rather have God in Christ, than all the world ; 
there thou shalt have him. What wouldst thou not give 
for assurance of his love 1 There thou shalt have assur- 
ance without suspicion. Desire what thou canst, and ask 
what thou wilt, as a Christian, and it shall be given thee, 
not only to half of the kingdom, but to the enjoyment both 
9* 



94 

of kingdom and King. This is a life of desire and 
prayer, but that is a life of satisfaction and enjoyment. — 
This rest is very suitable to the saints' necessities also, as 
well as to their natures and desires. It contains what- 
soever they truly wanted ; not supplying them with gross 
created comforts, which, like Saul's armor on David, are 
more burden than benefit. It was Christ and perfect 
holiness which they most needed, and with these shall 
they be supplied. 

10. (8.) Still more, this rest will be absolutely perfect, 
We shall then have joy without sorrow, and rest without 
weariness. There is no mixture of corruption with our 
graces, nor of suffering with our comfort. There are none 
of those waves in that harbor, which now so toss us up 
and down. To-day we are well, to-morrow sick ; to-day 
in esteem, to-morrow in disgrace ; to-day we have friends, 
to-morrow none : nay, we have wine and vinegar in the 
same cup. If revelation raise us to the third heaven, the 
messenger of Satan must presently buffet us, and the thorn 
in the flesh fetch us down. But there is none of this in- 
constancy in heaven. If perfect love casteth out fear, 
then perfect joy must needs cast out sorrow, and perfect 
happiness exclude all the reliques of misery. We shall 
there rest from all the evil of sin, and of suffering. 

11. Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin, 
whether of nature, or of conversation. " There shall in 
nowise enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever 
worketh abomination or maketh a lie." What need Christ 
at all to have died, if heaven could have contained im- 
perfect souls 1 " For this purpose the Son of God was 
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 
His blood and Spirit have not done all this, to leave us 
after all denied. " What communion hath light with 
darkness? and what -concord hath Christ with Belial?" 



95 

Christian, if thou be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no 
more. Is not this glad news to thee, who hast prayed, 
and watched against it so long ? I know, if it were 
offered to thy choice, thou wouldst rather choose to be 
freed from sin, than have all the world. Thou shalt have 
thy desire. — That hard heart, those vile thoughts, which 
accompanied thee to every duty, shall now be left behind 
forever. — Thy understanding shall never more be troubled 
with darkness. All dark Scriptures shall be made plain ; 
all seeming contradictions reconciled. The poorest 
Christian is presently there a more perfect divine than 
any here. O that happy day, when error shall vanish 
for ever ! When our understanding shall be filled with God 
himself, whose light will leave no darkness in us ! His 
face shall be the Scripture, where we shall read the truth. 
Many a godly man hath here, in his mistaken zeal, been 
a means to deceive and pervert his brethren, and when he 
sees his own error, cannot again tell how to undeceive 
them. But there we shall conspire in one truth, as being 
one in him who is the truth. — We shall also rest from all 
the sin of our will, affection, and conversation. We shall 
no more retain this rebelling principle, which is still 
drawing us from God : no more be oppressed with the 
power of our corruptions, nor vexed with their presence : 
no pride, passion, slothfulness, insensibility, shall enter 
with us ; no strangeness to God, and the things of God : 
no coldness of affections, nor imperfection in our love ; 
no uneven walking, nor grieving of the Spirit ; no scan- 
dalous action, nor unholy conversation ; we shall rest from 
all these for ever. Then shall our will correspond to the 
divine will, as face answers face in a glass, and from 
which, as our law and rule, we shall never swerve. " For 
he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from 
his own works, as God did from his." 



96 

12. Our sufferings were but the consequences of our 
sinning, and in heaven they both shall cease together. 
We shall rest from all our doubts of God's love. It shall 
no more be said, that " Doubts are like the thistle, a bad 
weed, but growing in good ground." They shall now be 
weeded out, and trouble the gracious soul no more. We 
shall hear that kind of language no more, " What shall I 
do to know my state ? How shall I know that God is my 
Father ? that my heart is upright ? that my conversion 
is true ? that faith is sincere 1 I am afraid my sins are 
unpardoned ; that all I do is hypocrisy ; that God will 
reject me ; that he does not hear my prayers." All this is 
there turned into praise. We shall not rest from all sense 
of God's displeasure. Hell shall not be mixed with 
heaven. At times the gracious soul remembered God, 
and was troubled ; complained, and was overwhelmed, and 
refused to be comforted ; divine wrath lay hard upon him, 
and God afflicted him with all his waves. But that blessed 
day shall convince us, that though God hid his face from 
us for a moment, yet with everlasting kindness will he 
have mercy on us. We shall rest from all the temptations 
of Satan. What a grief is it to a Christian, though he 
yield not to the temptation, yet to be solicited to deny his 
Lord ! What a torment, to have such horrid motions made 
to his soul ! such blasphemous ideas presented to his im- 
agination ! Sometimes cruel thoughts of God, undervalu- 
ing thoughts of Christ, unbelieving thoughts of Scripture, 
or injurious thoughts of Providence ! To be tempted 
sometimes to turn to present things, to play with the baits 
of sin, and venture on the delights of flesh, and sometimes 
to atheism itself! Especially, when we know the treachery 
of our own hearts, ready, as tinder, to take fire, as soon 
as one of those sparks shall fall upon them ! Satan hath 
power here to tempt us in the wilderness, but he entereth 



m 

not the holy city : he may set us on a pinnacle of the 
temple in the earthly Jerusalem, but the new Jerusalem 
he may not approach ; he may take us up into an exceed- 
ing high mountain, but the Mount Sion he cannot ascend ; 
and if he could, all the kingdoms of the world, and the 
glory of them, would be a despised bait to a soul possessed 
of the kingdom of our Lord. No, it is in vain for Satan 
to offer a temptation more. All our temptations from the 
world and the flesh shall also cease. O the hourly dan- 
gers that we here walk in ! Every sense and member is a 
snare ; every creature, every mercy, and every duty, is a 
snare to us. We can scarce open our eyes, but we are 
in danger of envying those above us, or despising those 
below us ; of coveting the honors and riches of some, or 
beholding the rags and beggary of others with pride and 
unmercifulness. If we see beauty, it is a bait to lust ; if 
deformity, to loathing and disdain. How soon do slan- 
derous reports, vain jests, wanton speeches, creep into the 
heart ! How constant and strong a watch does our appe- 
tite require ! Have we comeliness and beauty ? What 
fuel for pride! Are we deformed? What an occasion 
of repining ! Have we strength of reason, and gifts of 
learning? O how prone to be puffed up, hunt after 
applause, and despise our brethren ! Are we unlearned ? 
How apt then to despise what we have not ! Are we in 
places of authority? How strong is the temptation to 
abuse our trust, make our will our law, and cut out all the 
enjoyments of others by the rules and model of our own 
interest and policy ! Are we inferiors ? How prone to 
grudge at other's pre-eminence, and bring their actions 
to the bar of our judgment ! Are we rich, and not too 
much exalted? Are we poor, and not discontented? 
Are we not lazy in our duties, or make a Christ of them ? 
Not that God hath made all these things our snares ; but 



98 

through our own corruption they become so to us. Our- 
selves are the greatest snare to ourselves. This is our 
comfort, our rest will free us from all these. As Satan 
hath no entrance there, so neither any thing to serve his 
malice : but all things there shall join with us in the high 
praises of their great Deliverer. As we rest from the 
temptations, we shall likewise from the abuses and perse- 
cutions of the world. The prayers of the souls under the 
altar will then be answered, and God will avenge their 
blood on them that dwell on the earth. This is the time 
for crowning with thorns ; that for crowning with glory. 
Now, " all that live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer per- 
secution;'*'' then they that suffered with him, shall be 
glorified with him, Now, we must be hated of all men 
for Chrisfs name's sake. Then, Christ will be admired 
in his saints that were thus hated. "We are here made a 
spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men : as 
the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things : 
men separate us from their company, and reproach us, 
and cast out our names as evil : but we shall then be as- 
much crazed at for our glory, and they will be shut out of 
the church of the saints, and separated from us, whether 
they will or not. We can scarce pray in our families, or 
ship: praises to God, but our voice is a vexation to them : 
how must it torment them then, to see us praising and 
rejoicing, while they are howling and lamenting ! You, 
brethren, who can now attempt no work of God, without 
losing the love of the world, consider, you shall have 
none in heaven but will further your work, and join heart 
and voice with you in your everlasting joy and praise. 
Till then, possess ye your souls in patience. Bind all 
reproaches as a crown to your heads. Esteem them 
greater riches than the world's treasures. M It is a. 
righteous thing with God. to recompense tribulation to 



99 

them that trouble you ; and to you, who are troubled, rest 
with Christ." We shall then rest from all our sad divi- 
sions, and unchristian quarrels with one another. How 
lovingly do thousands live together in heaven, who lived 
at variance upon earth ! There is no contention, because 
none of this pride, ignorance, or other corruption. There 
is no plotting to strengthen our party, nor "deep designing 
against our brethren. If there be sorrow or shame in 
heaven, we shall then be both sorry and ashamed, to 
remember all this carriage on earth ; as Joseph's brethren 
were to behold him, when they remembered their former 
unkind usage. Is it not enough that all the world is 
against us, but we must also be against one another 1 O 
happy days of persecution, which drove us together in love, 
whom the sunshine of liberty and prosperity crumbles into 
dust by our contentions ! O happy day of the saints' rest in 
glory, when, as there is one God, one Christ, one Spirit, so 
we shall have one heart, one church, one employment for 
ever ! We shall then rest from our participation of our 
brethren's sufferings. The church on earth is a mere hos- 
pital. Some groaning under a dark understanding, some 
under an insensible heart, some languishing under unfruit- 
ful weakness, and some bleeding for miscarriages and 
wilfulness, some crying out of their poverty, some groaning 
under pains and infirmities, and some bewailing a whole 
catalogue of calamities. But a far greater grief it is, to 
see our dearest and most intimate friends turned aside from 
the truth of Christ, continuing their neglect of Christ and 
their souls, and nothing will awaken them out of their 
security : to look on an ungodly father or mother, brother 
or sister, wife or husband, child or friend, and think how 
certainly they shall be in hell for ever, if they die in their 
present unregenerate state : to think of the gospel departing, 
the glory taken from our Israel, poor souls left willingly 



100 

dark and destitute, and blowing out the light that should 
guide them to salvation ! Our day of rest will free us from 
all this, and the days of mourning shall be ended : then thy 
people, O Lord, shall be all righteous ; they shall inherit 
the land for ever, the branch of thy planting, the work of 
thy hands, that thou may est be glorified. Then we shall 
rest from all our own personal sufferings. This may 
seem a small thing to those that live in ease and prosper- 
ity, but to the daily afflicted soul, it makes the thoughts 
of heaven delightful. O the dying life we now live ! as 
full of sufferings as of days and hours ! Our Redeemer 
leaves this measure of misery upon us, to make us know 
for what we are beholden, to mind us of what we should 
else forget, to be serviceable to his wise and gracious 
designs, and advantageous to our full and final recovery. 
Grief enters at every sense, seizes every part and power 
of flesh and spirit. What noble part is there, that sufFer- 
eth its pain or ruin alone ? But sin and flesh, dust and 
pain, will all be left behind together. O the blessed 
tranquillity of that region, where there is nothing but 
sweet, continued peace ! O healthful place, where none 
are sick ! O fortunate land, where all are kings ! O 
holy assembly, where all are priests ! How free a state, 
where none are servants, but to their supreme Monarch ! 
The poor man shall no more be tired with his labors : no 
more hunger or thirst, cold or nakedness ; no pinching 
frosts or scorching heats. Our faces shall' no more be 
pale or sad ; no more breaches in friendship, nor parting 
of friends asunder ; no more trouble accompanying our 
relations, nor voice or lamentation heard in our dwelling's : 
God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes. O my soul, 
bear with the infirmities of thine earthly tabernacle ; it 
will be thus but a little while; the sound of thy Re- 
deemer's feet is even at the door. We shall also rest from 



101 

all the toils of duties. The conscientious magistrate, 
parent, and minister, cries out, " O the burden that lieth 
upon me!" Every relation, state, age, hath variety of 
duties ; so that every conscientious Christian cries out, 
<c O the burden ! O my weakness that makes it burden- 
some ! " But our remaining rest will ease us of the 
burdens. Once more we shall rest from all these trouble- 
some afflictions which necessarily accompany our absence 
from God. The trouble that is mixed in our desires and 
hopes, our longings and waitings, shall then cease. We 
shall no more look into our cabinet, and miss our treasure ; 
into our hearts, and miss our Christ ; no more seek him 
from ordinance to ordinance ; but all be concluded in a 
most blessed and full enjoyment. 

13. (9.) The last jewel of our crown is, that it will be 
an everlasting rest. Without this, all were comparatively 
nothing. The very thought of leaving it, would imbitter 
all our joys. It would be a hell in heaven, to think of 
once losing heaven : as it would be a kind of heaven to 
be damned, had they but hopes of once escaping. Mortal- 
ity is the disgrace of all sublunary delights. How it spoils 
our pleasure, to see it dying in our hands ! But, O blessed 
eternity ! where our lives are perplexed with no such 
thoughts, nor our joys interrupted with any such fears ! 
where " we shall be pillars in the temple of God, and go 
no more out." While we were servants, we held by lease, 
and that but for the term of a transitory life ; " but the 
son abideth in the house for ever." " O my soul, let go 
thy dreams of present pleasures, and loose thy hold of 
earth and flesh. Study frequently, study thoroughly, this 
one word — Eternity. What ! live and never die ! Re- 
joice, and ever rejoice ! " O happy souls in hell, should 
you but escape after millions of ages ! O miserable saints 
in heaven, should you be dispossessed, after the age of a 
10 



102 

million of worlds ! This word, everlasting, contains the 
perfection of their torment, and our glory. O that the 
sinner would study this word ! methinks it would startle 
him out of his dead sleep. O that the gracious soul 
would study it, methinks it would revive him in his deepest 
agony ! " And must I, Lord, thus live for ever ? Then 
will I also love for ever. Must my joys be immortal? 
And shall not my thanks be also immortal ? Surely, if 
I shall never lose my glory, I will never cease thy praises. 
If thou wilt both perfect and perpetuate me and my glory ; 
as I shall be thine, and not my own ; so shall my glory be 
thy glory. And as thy glory was thy ultimate end in my 
glory ; so shall it also be my end, when thou hast crowned 
me with that glory which hath no end. ' Unto the King 
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor 
and glory, for ever and ever.' " 

14. Thus I have endeavored to show you a glimpse of 
approaching glory. But how short are my expressions of 
its excellency ! Reader, if thou be an humble sincere 
believer, and waitest with longing and laboring for this 
rest, thou wilt shortly see, and feel the truth of all this. 
Thou wilt then have so high an apprehension of this 
blessed state, as will make thee pity the ignorance and 
distance of mortals, and will tell thee, all that is here said 
falls short of the whole truth a thousand-fold. In the 
mean time, let this much kindle thy desires, and quicken 
thy endeavors. Up, and be doing ; run, and strive, and 
fight, and hold on ; for thou hast a certain, glorious prize 
before thee. God will not mock thee ; do not mock thy- 
self, nor betray thy soul by delaying, and all is thine own. 
What kind of men, dost thou think, would Christians be 
in their lives and duties, if they had still this glory fresh 
in their thoughts 1 What frame would their spirits be in, 
if their thoughts of heaven were lively and believing ? 



103 

Would their hearts be so heavy 1 their countenances be so 
sad ? or would they have need to take up their comforts 
from below 1 Would they be so loath to suffer ; so afraid 
to die : or would they not think every day a year till they 
enjoy it ? May the Lord heal our carnal hearts, lest we 
enter not into this rest, because of unbelief. 



104 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Character of the Persons for whom this Rest is 
designed. 

Sect. 1. It is wonderful that such rest should he designed for mor- 
tals. 2. The people of God, -who shall enjoy this rest, are, (l.y 
Chosen from eternity. 3. (.2.) Given to Christ. 4. (3.) Born 
again. 5 — 8. (4.) Deeply convinced of the evil of sin, their 
misery by sin, the vanity of the creature, and the all-sufficiency 
of Christ. 9. (5.) Their will is proportionably changed. 10. (6.) 
They engage in covenant with Christ 11. and, (7.) They per- 
severe in their engagements. 12. The reader invited to examine 
himself by the characteristics of God's people. 13. Further testi- 
mony from Scripture that this rest shall be enjoyed by the people 
of God. 14. Also that none but they shall enjoy it. 15, 16. And 
that it remains for them, and is not to be enjoyed till they come 
to another world. 17. The chapter concludes with showing, that 
their souls shall enjoy this rest while separated from their bodies. 

1. While I was in the mount, describing the excel- 
lencies of the saints' rest, I felt it was good being there, 
and therefore tarried the longer : and was there not an 
extreme disproportion between my conceptions and the 
subject, much longer had I been. Can a prospect of that 
happy land be tedious ? Having read of such a high and 
unspeakable glory, a stranger would wonder for what rare 
creatures this mighty preparation should be made, and 
expect some illustrious sun should break forth. But, be- 
hold ! only a shell-full of dust, animated with an invisible 
rational soul, and that rectified with as unseen a restoring 
power of grace ; and this is the creature that must possess 
such glory. You would think it must needs be some 



105 

deserving piece, or one that brings a valuable price : but, 
behold ! one that hath nothing ; and can deserve nothing ; 
yea, that deserves the contrary, and would, if he might, 
proceed in that deserving : but being apprehended by love, 
he is brought to him that is All ; and most affectionately 
receiving him, and resting on him, he doth, in and through 
him, receive all this. More particularly, the persons for 
whom this rest is designed, are — chosen of God from 
eternity — given to Christ, as their Redeemer — born again 
— deeply convinced of the evil and misery of a sinful state, 
the vanity of the creature, and the all-sufficiency of 
Christ — their will is renewed — they engage themselves to 
Christ in covenant — and they persevere in their engage- 
ments to the end. 

2. (1.) The persons for whom this rest is designed, 
whom the text calls " the people of God," are " chosen 
of God before the foundation of the world, that they should 
be holy and without blame before him in love." That 
they are but a small part of mankind is too apparent in 
Scripture and experience. They are the little flock to 
whom " it is their Father's good pleasure to give the king- 
dom." Fewer they are than the world imagines ; yet not 
so few as some drooping spirits think, who are suspicious 
that God is unwilling to be their God, when they know 
themselves willing to be his people. 

3. (2.) These persons are given of God to his Son, to 
be by him redeemed from their lost state, and advanced to 
this glory. God hath given all things to his Son. " God 
hath given him power over all flesh, that he should give 
eternal life to as many as the Father hath given him." 
The Father hath given him all who repent and believe. 
The difference is clearly expressed by the apostle — " he 
hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the 
head over all things to the church." And though Christ 

10* 



106 

is, in some sense, a ransom for all, yet not in that special 
manner, as for his people. 

4. (3.) One great qualification of these persons is, that 
they are born again. To be the people of God without 
regeneration, is as impossible as to be the children of men 
without generation. Seeing we are born God's enemies, 
we must be new-born his sons, or else remain enemies 
still. The greatest reformation of life that can be attained 
to without this new life wrought in the soul, may procure 
our further delusion, but never our salvation. 

5. (4.) This new life in the people of God discovers 
itself by conviction, or a deep sense of divine things. As 
for instance : they are convinced of the evil of sin. 
The sinner is made to know and feel, that the sin, which 
was his delight, is a more loathsome thing than a toad 
or serpent, and a greater evil than plague or famine ; 
being a breach of the righteous law of the most high God, 
dishonorable to him, and destructive to the sinner. Now 
the sinner no more hears the reproof of sin, as words of 
course ; but the mention of his sin speaks to his very 
heart, and yet he is contented you should show him the 
worst. He was wont to marvel, what made men keep up 
such a stir against sin ; what harm it was for a man to 
take a little forbidden pleasure ; he saw no such heinous- 
ness in it, that Christ must needs die for it, and a Christ- 
less world be eternally tormented in hell. Now the case 
is altered : God hath opened his eyes to see the inexpres- 
sible vileness in sin. 

6. They are convinced of their own misery by reason 
of sin. They who before read the threats of God's law, 
as men do the story of foreign wars, now find it their own 
story, and perceive they read their own doom, as if they 
found their own names written in the curse, or heard the 
law say, as Nathan, " Thou art the man." The wrath of 



107 

God seemed to him before but as a storm to a man in a 
dry house, or as the pains of the sick to the healthful 
stander-by ; but now he finds the disease is his own, and 
feels himself a condemned man, that he is dead and 
damned in point of law, and that nothing was wanting but 
mere execution to make him absolutely and irrecoverably 
miserable. This is a work of the Spirit, wrought in some 
measure in all the regenerate. How should he come to 
Christ for pardon, that did not first find himself guilty, 
and condemned ? or for life, that never found himself 
spiritually dead 1 " The whole need not a physician, but 
they that are sick." The discovery of the remedy, as 
soon as the misery, must needs prevent a great part of the 
trouble. And perhaps the joyful apprehensions of mercy 
may make the sense of misery sooner forgotten. 

7. They are also convinced of the creature's vanity and 
insufficiency. Every man is naturally an idolater. Our 
hearts turned from God in our first fall ; and, ever since, 
the creature hath been our god. This is the grand sin of 
nature. Every unregenerate man ascribes to the creature 
divine prerogatives, and allows it the highest room in his 
soul ; or, if he is convinced of misery, he flies to it as his 
saviour. Indeed, God and his Christ shall be called Lord 
and Saviour ; but the real expectation is from the crea- 
ture, and the work of God is laid upon it. Pleasure, 
profit, and honor are the natural man's trinity ; and his 
carnal self is these in unity. It was our first sin to aspire 
to be as gods ; and it is the greatest sin that is propagated 
in our nature from generation to generation. When God 
should guide us, we guide ourselves ; when he should be 
our sovereign, we rule ourselves : the laws which he gave 
us we find "fault with, and would correct; and, if we had 
the making of them, we would have made them otherwise: 
when he should take care of us, (and must, or we perish,) 



108 

we will take care for ourselves ; when we should depend 
on him in daily receivings, we had rather have our portion 
in our own hands : when we should submit to his provi- 
dence, we usually quarrel at it, and think we could make 
a better disposal than God hath made. When we should 
study and love, trust and honor God, we study and love, 
trust and honor our carnal selves. Instead of God, we 
would have all men's eyes and dependence on us, and all 
men's thanks returned to us, and would gladly be the only 
men on earth extolled and admired by all. Thus we are 
naturally our own idols. But down falls this Dagon, when 
God does once renew the soul. It is the chief design of 
that great work to bring the heart back to God himself. 
He convinceth the sinner, that the creature can neither be 
his God, to make him happy, nor his Christ, to recover 
him from his misery, and restore him to God, who is his 
happiness. God does this, not only by his word, but by 
providence also. This is the reason, why affliction so fre- 
quently concurs in the work of conversion. Arguments 
which speak to the quick, will force a hearing, when the 
most powerful words are slighted. If a sinner made his 
credit his god, and God shall cast him into the lowest dis- 
grace, or bring him, who idolized his riches, into a condi- 
tion wherein they cannot help him ; or cause them to take 
wing, and fly away ; what a help is here to this work of 
conviction ! If a man made pleasure his god, whatsover 
a roving eye, a curious ear, a greedy appetite, or a lustful 
heart could desire, and God should take these from him, 
or turn them into gall or wormwood, what a help is here 
to conviction ! When God shall cast a man into languish- 
ing sickness, and inflict wounds on his heart, and stir up 
against him his own conscience, and then, as it were, say 
to him, " Try if your credit, riches, or pleasures can help 
you. Can they heal your wounded conscience ? Can 



109 

they now support your tottering tabernacle? Can they 
keep your departing soul in your body 1 or save you from 
mine everlasting wrath ? or redeem your soul from eternal 
flames I Cry aloud to them, and see now whether these 
will be to you instead of God and Christ." O how this 
works now with the sinner! Sense acknowledges the 
truth, and even the flesh is convinced of the creature's 
vanity, and our very deceiver is undeceived. 

8. The people of God are likewise convinced of the 
absolute necessity, the full sufficiency, and perfect excel- 
lency of Jesus Christ : as a man in famine is convinced of 
the necessity of food; or a man that had heard or read his 
sentence of condemnation, of the absolute necessity of 
pardon ; or a man that lies in prison for debt, is convinced 
of his need of a surety to discharge it. Now the sinner 
feels an unsupportable burden upon him, and sees there is 
none but Christ can take it off: he perceives the law pro- 
claims him a rebel, and none but Christ can make his 
peace : he is as a man pursued by a lion 3 that must perish 
if he finds not a present sanctuary : he is now brought to 
this dilemma ; either he must have Christ, to justify him, 
or be eternally condemned ; have Christ to save him, or 
burn in hell for ever ; have Christ to bring him to God, or 
be shut out of his presence everlastingly. And no wonder 
if he cry out as the martyr, " None but Christ ! none but 
Christ!" Not gold, but bread, will satisfy the hungry ; 
nor any thing but pardon will comfort the condemned. 
" All things are counted but dung now, that he may win 
Christ ; and what was gain, he counts loss for Christ." 
As the sinner sees his misery^ and the inability of himself, 
and all things to relieve him, so he perceives there is no 
saving mercy out of Christ. He sees, though the crea- 
ture cannot, and himself cannot, yet Christ can. Though 
the fig-leaves of our own unrighteous righteousness are 



no 

too short to cover our nakedness, yet the righteousness of 
Christ is large enough : ours is disproportionate to the 
justice of the law, but Christ's extends to every tittle. If 
he intercede, there is no denial : such is the dignity of his 
person, and the value of his merits, that the Father grants 
all he desires. Before, the sinner knew Christ's excel- 
lency, as a blind man knows the light of the sun ; but now, 
as one that beholds its glory. 

9. (5.) After this deep conviction, the will discovers 
also its change. As for instance — The sin, which the 
understanding pronounces evil, the will turns from with 
abhorrence. Not that the sensitive appetite is changed, 
or any way made to abhor its object : but when it would 
prevail against reason, and carry us to sin against God, 
instead of Scripture being the rule, and reason the master, 
and sense the servant ; this disorder and evil the will 
abhors, — The misery also which sin hath procured, is not 
only discerned, but bewailed. It is impossible that the 
soul should now look, either on its trespass against God, 
or yet on its own self-procured calamity, without some 
contrition. He that truly discerns that he hath killed 
Christ, and killed himself, will surely in some measure be 
pricked to the heart. If he cannot weep he ean heartily 
groan ; and his heart feels what his understanding sees. 
The creature is renounced as vanity, and turned out of 
the heart with disdain. Not that it is undervalued, or the 
use of it disclaimed ; but its idolatrous abuse, and its un- 
just usurpation. Can Christ be the way, where the crea- 
ture is the end ? Can we seek to Christ to reconcile us 
to God, while in our hearts»we prefer the creature before 
him ? In the soul of every unregenerate man, the crea- 
ture is both God and Christ. As turning from the crea- 
ture to God and not by Christ, is no true turning : so 
believing in Christ, while the creature hath our hearts, is 



Ill 

no true believing. Our aversion from sin, renouncing our 
idols, and our right receiving Christ, is all but one work, 
which God ever perfects where he begins. At the same 
time, the will cleaves to God the Father, and to Christ. 
Having been convinced that nothing else can be his hap- 
piness, the sinner now finds it is in God. Convinced also, 
that Christ alone is able and willing to make peace for 
him, he most affectionately accepts- of Christ for Saviour 
and Lord. Paul's preaching was "repentance toward 
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." And life 
eternal consists, first in " knowing the only true God, and 
then Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent." To take the 
Lord for our God, is the natural part of the covenant : the 
supernatural part is, to take Christ for our Redeemer. 
The former is first necessary, and implied in the latter. 
To accept Christ without affection and love, is not justify- 
ing faith. Nor does love follow as a fruit, but immediately 
concurs ; for faith is the receiving of Christ with the whole 
soul. " He that loveth father and mother more than 
Christ, is not worthy of him," nor is justified by him. 
Faith accepts him for Saviour and Lord : for in both 
relations will he be received, or not at all. Faith not only 
acknowledges his sufferings, and accepts of pardon and 
glory, but acknowledges his sovereignty, and submits 
to his government and way of salvation. 

10. (6.) As an essential part of the character of God's 
people, they now enter into a cordial covenant with Christ. 
The sinner was never strictly, nor comfortably, in cove- 
nant with Christ till now. He is sure by the free offers, 
that Christ consents ; and now he cordially consents him- 
self; and so the agreement is fully made. — With this 
covenant Christ delivers up himself in all comfortable 
relations to the sinner ; and the sinner delivers up himself 
to be saved, and ruled by Christ. Now the soul reso- 



112 

lutely concludes, " I have been blindly led by flesh and 
lust, by the world and the devil, too long, almost to my 
utter destruction ; I will now be wholly at the disposal of 
my Lord, who hath bought me with his blood, and will 
bring me to his glory." 

11. (7.) I add, that the people of God persevere in this 
covenant to the end. Though the believer may be tempted, 
yet he never disclaims his Lord, renounces his allegi- 
ance, nor repents of his covenant ; nor can he properly be 
said to break that covenant, while that faith continues 
which is the condition of it. Indeed, those that have 
verbally covenanted, and not cordially, may " tread under 
foot the blood of the covenant, as an unholy thing, where- 
with they were sanctified," by separation from those with- 
out the church : but the elect cannot be so deceived. 
Though this perseverance be certain to true believers, vet 
it is made a condition of their salvation : yea, of their 
continued life and fruitfulness, and of the continuance of 
their justification, though not of their first justification 
itself. But eternally blessed be that hand of love, which 
hath drawn the free promise, and subscribed and sealed to 
that which ascertains us, both of the grace which is the 
condition, and the kingdom which on that condition is 
offered ! 

12. Such are the essentials of this people of God : not 
a full portraiture of them in all their excellencies, nor all 
the notes whereby they may be discerned. I beseech 
thee, reader, as thou hast the hope of a Christian, or the 
reason of a man, judge thyself, as one that must shortly 
be judged by a righteous God, and faithfully answer these 
questions. I will not inquire whether thou remember the 
time or the order of these workings of the Spirit : there 
mav be much uncertainty and mistake in that. If thou 
art sure thev are wrought in thee, the matter is not so 



113 

great, though thou know not when or how thou earnest by 
them. But carefully examine and inquire, Hast thou 
been thoroughly convinced of a prevailing depravation 
through thy whole soul ? and a prevailing wickedness 
through thy whole life ? and how vile sin is 1 and that, by 
the covenant thou hast transgressed, the least sin deserves 
eternal death ? Dost thou consent to the law, that it is 
true and righteous, and perceive thyself sentenced to this 
death by it ? Hast thou seen the utter insufficiency of 
every creature, either to be itself thy happiness, or the 
means of removing this thy misery ? Hast thou been con- 
vinced, that thy happiness is only in God, as the end ; 
and in Christ, as the way to him ; and that thou must be 
brought to God through Christ, or perish eternally ? Hast 
thou seen an absolute necessity of thy enjoying Christ, 
and the full sufficiency in him, to do for thee whatsoever 
thy case requires ? Hast thou discovered the excellency 
of this pearl, to be worth thy "selling all to buy it?" 
Have thy convictions been like those of a man that thirsts ; 
and not merely a change in opinion, produced by reading 
or education 1 Have both thy sin and misery been the 
abhorrence and burden of thy soul 1 If thou couldst not 
weep, yet couldst thou heartily groan under the insupport- 
able weight of both ? Hast thou renounced all thy own 
righteousness 1 Hast thou turned thy idols out of thy 
heart, so that the creature hath no more the sovereignty, 
but is now a servant to God and Christ ? Dost thou 
accept of Christ as thy only Saviour, and expect thy justi- 
fication, recovery, and glory, from him alone ? Are his 
laws the most powerful commanders of thy life and soul ? 
Do they ordinarily prevail against the commands of the 
flesh, and against the greatest interest of thy credit, profit, 
pleasure, or life ? Has Christ the highest room in thy 
heart and affections, so that though thou canst not love 
11 



114 

him as thou wouldst, yet nothing else is loved so much ? 
Hast thou to this end made a hearty covenant with him, 
and delivered up thyself to him ? Is it thy utmost care 
and watchful endeavor that thou mayest be found faithful 
in this covenant ; and though thou fall into sin, yet 
wouldst not renounce thy bargain, nor change thy Lord, 
nor give up thyself to any other government for all the 
world? — If this be truly the case, thou art one of the 
people of God in my text ; and as sure as the promise of 
God is true, this blessed rest remains for thee. Only see 
thou " abide in Christ," and "endure to the end;" for 
" if any man draw back, his soul shall have no pleasure in 
him." But if no such work be found within thee ; what- 
ever thy deceived heart may think, or how strong soever 
thy false hopes may be ; thou wilt find to thy cost, except 
thorough conversion prevent it, that the rest of the saints 
belongs not to thee. " O that thou wert wise, that thou 
wouldst understand this, that thou wouldst consider thy 
latter end ! " That yet, while thy soul is in thy body, and 
" a price in thy hand," and opportunity and hope before 
thee, thine ears may be open, and thy heart yield to the 
persuasions of God, that so thou mightest rest among 
his people, and enjoy " the inheritance of the saints in 
light!" 

13. That this rest shall be enjoyed by the people of 
God, is a truth which the Scripture, if its testimony be 
further needed, clearly asserts in a variety of ways : as, 
for instance, that they are " foreordained to it, and it for 
them. — God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he 
hath prepared for them a city." They are styled " vessels 
of mercy, afore prepared unto glory." " In Christ they 
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated accord- 
ing to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the 
counsel of his own will." And "whom he did predesti- 



115 

nate, them he also glorified." Who can bereave his 
people of that rest which is designed for them by God's 
eternal purpose 1 — Scripture tells us, they are redeemed 
to this rest. " By the blood of Jesus we have boldness to 
enter into the holiest ; " whether that entrance means by 
faith and prayer here, or by full possession hereafter. 
Therefore the saints in heaven sing a new song unto him 
who has "redeemed them to God by his blood, out of 
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and 
made them kings and priests unto God." Either Christ 
then must lose his blood and sufferings, and never " see 
of the travail of his soul," or else "there remaineth a rest 
to the people of God." In Scripture this rest is promised 
to them. As the firmament with stars, so are the sacred 
pages bespangled with these divine engagements. Christ 
says, " fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's 
good pleasure to give you the kingdom." " I appoint 
unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed 
unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table 
in my kingdom." All the means of grace, the opera- 
tions of the Spirit upon the soul, and gracious actings 
of the saints, every command to repent and believe, to 
fast and pray, to knock and seek, to strive and labor, 
to run and fight, prove that there remains a rest for the 
people of God. The Spirit would never kindle in us 
such strong desires after heaven, such love to Jesus 
Christ, if we should not receive what we desire and love. 
He that "guides our feet into the way of peace," will 
undoubtedly bring us to the end of peace. How nearly 
are the means and end conjoined ! " The kingdom of 
heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by 
force." They that " follow Christ in the regeneration, 
shall sit upon thrones of glory." Scripture assures us, 
that the saints have the " beginnings, foretastes, earnests, 



116 

and seals" of this rest here. " The kingdom of God is 
within them." " Though they have not seen Christ, yet 
loving him, and believing in him, they rejoice with joy 
unspeakable and full of glory ; receiving the end of their 
faith, even the salvation of their souls." They " rejoice 
in hope of the glory of God." And does God " seal them 
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of 
their inheritance," and will he deny the full possession ? 
The Scripture also mentions, by name, those who have 
entered into this rest, — as Enoch, Abraham, Lazarus, the 
thief that was crucified with Christ, &,c. And if there be 
a rest for these, sure there is a rest for all believers. But 
it is in vain to heap up Scripture proofs, seeing it is the 
very end of Scripture, to be a guide to lead us to this 
blessed state, and to be the charter and grant by which 
we hold all our title to it. 

14. Scripture not only proves that this rest remains for 
the people of God, but also that it remains for none but 
them, so that the rest of the world shall have no part in it. 
" Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Except a 
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 
He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the 
wrath of God abideth on him. No whoremonger, nor 
unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, 
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations 
that forget God. They all shall be damned, who believe 
not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. The 
Lord Jesus shall come, in naming fire, taking vengeance 
on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel 
of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with 
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and 
from the glory of his power." Had the ungodly returned 
before their life was expired, and been heartily willing to. 



117 

accept of Christ for their Saviour and their King, and to 
be saved by him in his way, and upon his most reasonable 
terms, they might have been saved. God freely offered 
them life, and they would not accept it. The pleasures 
of the flesh seemed more desirable to them than the glory 
of the saints. Satan offered them the one, and God 
offered them the other ; and they had free liberty to 
choose which they would, and they chose "the pleasures 
of sin for a season," before the everlasting rest with Christ. 
And is it not a righteous thing that they should be denied 
that which they would not accept 1 When God pressed 
them so earnestly, and persuaded them so importunately, 
to come in, and yet they would not, where should they be 
but among the dogs without? Though man be so wicked, 
that he will not yield till the mighty power of grace 
prevail with him, yet still we may truly say, that he may 
he saved, if he will, on God's terms. His inability being 
moral, and lying in wilful wickedness, is no more excuse 
to him, than it is to an adulterer that he cannot love his 
own wife, or to a malicious person that he cannot but hate 
his own brother : is he not so much the worse, and 
deserving of so much the sorer punishment 1 Sinners 
shall lay all the blame on their own wills in hell for ever. 
Hell is a rational torment by conscience, according to the 
nature of the rational subject. If sinners could but then 
say, It was wrong of God, and not of us, it would quiet 
their consciences, and ease their torments, and make hell 
to them to be no hell. But to remember their wilfulness, 
will feed the fire, and cause the worm of conscience 
never to die. 

15. It is the will of God, that this rest should yet re- 
main for his people, and not be enjoyed till they come to 
another world. Who should dispose of the creatures, but 
he that made them ? You may as well ask, Why have 
11 * 



118 

we not spring and harvest without winter ? or, why is the 
earth below, and the heavens above I as, why have we not 
rest on earth ? All things must come to their perfection 
by degrees. The strongest man must first be a child. 
The greatest scholar must first begin with the alphabet. 
The tallest oak was once an acorn. This life is our 
infancy ; and would we be perfect in the womb, or born 
at full stature ? If our rest was here, most of God's provi- 
dences must be useless. Should God lose the glory of his 
church's miraculous deliverances, and the fall of his 
enemies, that men may have their happiness here 1 If we 
were all happy, innocent, and perfect, what use was there 
for the glorious works of our sanctincation, justification, 
and future salvation ? — If we wanted nothing, we should 
not depend on God so closely, nor call upon him so ear- 
nestly. How little should he hear from us, if we had 
what we would have ! God would never have had such 
songs of praise from Moses at the Red Sea, and in the 
wilderness from Deborah and Hannah, from David and 
Hezekiah, if they had been the choosers of their condition. 
Have not thy own highest praises to God, Reader, been 
occasioned by thy dangers or miseries ? The greatest 
glory and praise God has through the world, is for redemp- 
tion, reconciliation, and salvation by Christ ; and was not 
man's misery the occasion of that ? — And where God loses 
the opportunity of exercising his mercies, man must needs 
lose the happiness of enjoying them. Where God loses 
his praise, man will certainly lose his comforts. O the 
sweet comforts the saints have had in return to their 
prayers ! How should we know what a tender-hearted 
Father we have, if we had not, as the prodigal, been 
denied the husks of earthly pleasure and profit ? We 
should never have felt Christ's tender heart, if we had not 
felt ourselves weary and heavy laden, hungry and thirsty, 



119 

poor and contrite. It is a delight to a soldier, or traveller, 
to look back on his escapes when they are over ; and for 
a saint in heaven to look back on his sins and sorrows 
upon earth, his fears and tears, his enemies and dangers, 
his wants and calamities, must make his joy more joyful. 
Therefore the blessed, in praising the Lamb, mention his 
" redeeming them out of every nation, and kindred, and 
tongue ; " and so, out of their misery, and wants, and 
sins, " and making them kings and priests to God." But 
if they had had nothing but content and rest on earth, 
what room would there have been for these rejoicings 
hereafter ? 

16. Besides, we are not capable of rest upon earth. — 
Can a soul that is so weak in grace, so prone to sin, so 
nearly joined to such a neighbor as this flesh, have full 
content and rest in such a case 1 What is soul-rest, but 
our freedom from sin, and imperfections, and enemies ? 
And can the soul have rest that is pestered with all these, 
and that continually 1 Why do Christians so often cry 
out, in the language of Paul, " O wretched man that I 
am ! who shall deliver me ? " What makes them " press 
towards the mark, and run that they may obtain, and 
strive to enter in, " if they are capable of rest in their 
present condition ? — And our bodies are incapable as well 
as our souls. They are not now those sunlike bodies 
which they shall be, when this corruptible hath put on 
incorruption, and this mortal hath put on immortality. 
They are our prisons and our burdens ; so fall of infirmi- 
ties and defects, that we are fain to spend most of our time 
in repairing them, and supplying their continual wants. 
Is it possible that an immortal soul should have rest in 
such a distempered, noisome habitation. Surely these 
sickly, weary, loathsome bodies, must be refined, before 
they can be capable of enjoying rest. The objects we 



120 

here enjoy are insufficient to afford us rest. Alas ! what 
is there in all the world to give us rest 1 They that have 
most of it, have the greatest burden. They that set most 
by it, and rejoice most in it, do all cry out at last of its 
vanity and vexation. Men promise themselves a heaven 
upon earth : but when they come to enjoy it, it flies from 
them. He that has any regard to the works of the Lord, 
may easily see, that the very end of them is to take down 
our idols, to make us weary of the world, and seek our 
rest in him. "Where does he cross us most, but where we 
promise ourselves most content 1 If you have a child you 
dote upon, it becomes your sorrow. If you have a friend 
you trust in, and judge unchangeable, he becomes your 
scourge. Is this a place or state of rest ? And as the 
objects we here enjoy are insufficient for our rest, so God, 
who is sufficient, is here little enjoyed. It is not here 
that he hath prepared the presence-chamber of his glory. 
He hath drawn the curtain between us and him. We are 
far from him as creatures, and further as frail mortals, and 
furthest as sinners. We hear now and then a word of 
comfort from him, and receive his love-tokens to keep up 
our hearts and hopes ; but this is not our full enjoyment. 
And can any soul, that hath made God his portion, as 
every one hath that shall be saved by him, find rest in so 
vast a distance from him, and so seldom and small enjoy- 
ment of him ? Nor are we now capable of rest, as there 
is a worthiness must go before it. Christ will give the 
crown to none but the worthy. And are we fit for the 
crown, before we have overcome ? or for the prize, before 
we have run the race 1 or to receive our penny, before we 
have wrought in the vineyard 1 or to be rulers of ten cities, 
before we have improved our ten talents ? or to enter into 
the joy of our Lord, before we have well done, as good 
and faithful servants 1 God will not alter the course of 



121 

justice, to give you rest before you have labored, nor the 
crown of glory till you have overcome. There is reason 
enough why our rest should remain till the life to come. 
Take heed, then, Christian Reader, how thou darest to 
contrive and care for a rest on earth ; or to murmur at 
God for thy trouble, and toil, and wants in the flesh. 
Doth thy poverty weary thee 1 Thy sickness, thy bitter 
enemies, and unkind friends 1 It-should be so here. Do 
the abominations of the times, the sins of professors, the 
hardening of the wicked, all weary thee ? It must be so 
while thou art absent from thy rest. Do thy sins, and thy 
naughty distempered heart weary thee ? Be thus wearied 
more and more. But under all this weariness, art thou 
willing to go to God thy rest, and to have thy warfare 
accomplished, and thy race and labor ended? If not 
complain more of thy own heart, and get it more weary, 
till rest seem more desirable. 

17. I have but one thing more to add, for the close of 
this chapter, — that the souls of believers do enjoy incon- 
ceivable blessedness and glory, even while they remain 
separated from their bodies. What can be more plain 
than those words of Paul — "We are always confident, 
knowing that whilst we are at home," or rather sojourning 
" in the body, we are absent from the Lord ; for we walk 
by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and 
willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be 
present with the Lord." — Or those, " I am in a strait 
betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with 
Christ, which is far better." — If-Paul had not expected to 
enjoy Christ till the resurrection, why should he be in a 
strait, or desire to depart 1 Nay, should he not have been 
loath to depart upon the very same grounds ? For while 
he was in the flesh, he enjoyed something of Christ. — 
Plain enough is that of Christ to the thief, " To-day shalt 



122 

thou be with me in Paradise." — In the parable of Dives 
and Lazarus, it seems unlikely Christ would so evidently 
intimate and suppose the soul's happiness or misery 
presently after death, if there were no such matter. Our 
Lord's argument for the resurrection supposes, that, "God, 
being not the God of the dead, but of the living," there- 
fore Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were then living in soul. 
— If the "blessedness of the dead that die in the Lord," 
were only in resting in the grave, then a beast or a stone 
were as blessed ; nay, it were evidently a curse, and not 
a blessing. For was not life a great mercy 1 Was it not 
a greater mercy to serve God, and to do good ; to enjoy 
all the comforts of life, the fellowship of saints, the com- 
fort of ordinances, and much of Christ in all, than to lie 
rotting in the grave 1 Therefore some further blessedness 
is there promised. — How else is it said, " We are come to 
the spirits of just men made perfect." Sure, at the resur- 
rection, the body will be made perfect, as well as the 
Spirit. Does not Scripture tell us, that Enoch and Elias 
are taken up already 1 And shall we think they possess 
that glory alone 1 — Did not Peter, James, and John, see 
Moses also with Christ on the mount ? yet the Scripture 
saith, Moses died. And is it likely that Christ deluded 
their senses, in showing them Moses, if he should not 
partake of that glory till the resurrection? — And is not 
that of Stephen as plain as we can desire ? " Lord Jesus, 
receive my spirit." Surely, if the Lord receive it, it is 
neither asleep, nor dead, nor annihilated ; but it is where 
he is. and beholds his glory. — That of the wise man is of 
the same import: "The spirit shall return unto God who 
gave it." Why are we said to have eternal life ; and that 
to " know God is life eternal ; " and that a believer " on 
the Son hath everlasting life ? " Or how is " the kingdom 
of God within us ? " If there be as great an interruption 



123 

of our life as till the resurrection, this is no eternal 
life, nor everlasting kingdom. — The cities of Sodom and 
Gomorrah are spoken of as " suffering the vengeance of 
eternal fire." And if the wicked already suffer eternal 
fire, then, no doubt, but the godly enjoy eternal blessed- 
ness. — When John saw his glorious revelations, he is said 
to be " in the Spirit," and to be " carried away in the 
Spirit." And when Paul was taught up to the third 
heaven, he knew not " whether in the body or out of the 
body." This implies, that spirits are capable of these 
glorious things, without the help of their bodies. — Is not 
so much implied, when John says, " I saw under the altar 
the souls of them that were slain for the word of God?" 
When Christ says, " Fear not them who kill the body, 
but are not able to kill the soul," does it not plainly imply, 
that when wicked men have killed our bodies, that is, have 
separated the souls from them, yet the souls are still alive? 
The soul of Christ was alive when his body was dead, and 
therefore so shall be ours too. This appears by his words 
to the thief, " To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise ; " 
and also by his voice on the cross, " Father, into thy 
hands I commend my spirit." If the spirits of those that 
were disobedient in the days of Noah, were in prison, that 
is, in a living and suffering state ; then certainly the 
separate spirits of the just are in an opposite condition of 
happiness. Therefore, faithful souls will no sooner leave 
their prisons of flesh, but angels shall be their convoy ; 
Christ, with all the perfected spirits of the just, will be 
their companions; heaven will be their residence, and 
God their happiness. When such die, they may boldly 
and believingly say, as Stephen, " Lord Jesus, receive my 
spirit ; " and commend it, as Christ did, into a Father's 
hands. 



124 



CHAPTER V. 

The Great Misery of those vjho lose the Saints' Rest. 

Sect. 1. The Reader, if unregenerate, urged to consider what the 
loss of heaven will be. 2. (I.) The loss of heaven particularly 
includes, 3. (1.) The personal perfection of the saints ; 4. (2.) 
God himself ; 5. (3.) All delightful affections towards God ; 
6. (4.) The blessed society of angels and glorified spirits. 7.(11.) 
The aggravations of the loss of heaven ; 8. (1.) The understand- 
ing of the ungodly will then be cleared ; 9. (2.) also enlarged ; 

10. (3.) Their consciences will make a true and close application. 

11. (4.) Their affections will be more lively : 12 — 18. (5.) Their 
memories will be large and strong. 19. Conclusion of the 
chapter. 

1. If thou, Reader, art a stranger to Christ, and to the 
holy nature and life of his people, who are before described, 
and shalt live and die in this condition, let me tell thee, 
thou shalt never partake of the joys of heaven, nor have 
the least taste of the saints' eternal rest. I may say, as 
Ehud to Eglon, " I have a message to thee from God ; " 
that as the word of God is true, thou shalt never see the 
face of God with comfort. This sentence I am com- 
manded to pass upon thee : take it as thou wilt, and escape 
it if thou canst. I know thy humble and hearty subjection 
to Christ would procure thy escape : he would then 
acknowledge thee for one of his people, and give thee a 
portion in the inheritance of his chosen. If this might be 
the happy success of my message, I should be so far from 
repining, like Jonah, that the threatenings of God are not 
executed upon thee, that I should bless the day that ever 
God made me so happy a messenger. But if thou end thy 



125 

days in thy unregenerate state, as sure as the heavens are 
over thy head, and the earth under thy feet, thou shalt be 
shut out of the rest of the saints, and receive thy portion 
in everlasting fire. I expect thou wilt turn upon me, and 
say, When did God show you the Book of Life, or tell you 
who they are that shall be saved, and who shut out 1 I 
answer, I do not name thee, nor any other ; I only con- 
clude it of the unregenerate in general, and of thee, if thou 
be such a one. Nor do I go about to determine who shall 
repent, and who shall not ; much less, that thou shalt 
never repent. I had rather show thee what hopes thou 
hast before thee, if thou wilt not sit still, and lose them. I 
would far rather persuade thee to hearken in time, before 
the door be shut against thee, than tell thee there is no 
hope of thy repenting and returning. But if the foregoing 
description of the people of God does not agree with the 
state of thy soul, is it then a hard question, whether thou 
shalt ever be saved 1 Need I ascend up into heaven to 
know, that " without holiness no man shall see the Lord ; " 
or, that only " the pure in heart shall see God ; " or, that 
" except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God 1 " Need I go up to heaven, to inquire 
that of Christ, which he came down to earth to tell us ; 
and sent his Spirit in his apostles to tell us ; and which 
he and they have left upon record to all the world ? And 
though I know not the secrets of thy heart, and therefore 
cannot tell thee by name, whether it be thy state or not ; 
yet, if thou art but willing and diligent, thou mayest know 
thyself, whether thou art an heir of heaven or not. It is 
the main thing I desire, that if thou art yet miserable, thou 
mayest discern and escape it. But how canst thou escape, 
if thou neglect Christ and salvation ? It is as impossible 
as for the devils themselves to be saved : nay, God has 
more plainly and frequently spoken it in Scripture of such 
12 



126 

sinners as thou art, than he has of the devils. Methinks 
a sight of thy case would strike thee with amazement and 
horror. When Belshazzar " saw the fingers of a man's 
hand that wrote upon the wall, his countenance was 
changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints 
of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against 
another." What trembling then should seize on thee, 
who hast the hand of God himself against thee, not in a 
sentence or two, but in the very scope of the Scriptures, 
threatening the loss of an everlasting kingdom ! Because 
I would fain have thee lay it to heart, I will show thee — 
the nature of thy loss of heaven, — together with its 
aggravations. 

2. (I.) In their loss of heaven, the ungodly lose — the 
saints' personal perfection, — God himself, — all delightful 
affections towards God, — and the blessed society of angels 
and saints. 

3. (1.) The glorious personal perfection which the 
saints enjoy in heaven, is the great loss of the ungodly. 
They lose that shining lustre of the body surpassing the 
brightness of the sun at noonday. Though the bodies of 
the wicked will be raised more spiritual than they were 
upon earth, yet that will only make them capable of the 
more exquisite torments. They would be glad then, if 
every member were a dead member, that it might not feel 
the punishment inflicted on it ; and if the whole body 
were a rotten carcass, or might lie down again in the dust. 
Much more do they want that moral perfection which the 
blessed partake of ; those holy dispositions of mind ; that 
cheerful readiness to do the will of God ; that perfect 
rectitude of all their actions : instead of these, they have 
that perverseness of will, that loathing of good, that love 
of evil, that violence of passion, which they had on earth. 
It is true, their understandings will be much cleared by 



127 

the ceasing of former temptation, and experiencing the 
falsehood of former delusions ; but they have the same 
dispositions still, and fain would they commit the same 
sins, if they could : they want but opportunity. There 
will be a greater difference between these wretches, and 
the glorified Christians, than there is betwixt a toad and 
the sun in the firmament. The rich man's purple and 
fine linen, and sumptuous fare, did not so exalt him above 
Lazarus while at his gate full of sores. 

4. (2.) They shall have no comfortable relation to God, 
nor communion with him. " As they did not like to 
retain God in their knowledge ; " but said unto him, 
w Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy 
ways ; " so God will abhor to retain them in his household. 
He will never admit them to the inheritance of his saints, 
nor endure them to stand in his presence, but " will pro- 
fess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me ye that 
work iniquity." They are ready now to lay as confident 
claim to Christ and heaven, as if they were sincere believ- 
ing saints. The swearer, the drunkard, the whoremonger, 
the worldling, can say, Is not God our Father as well as 
yours t But when Christ separates his followers from his 
foes, and his faithful friends from his deceived flatterers, 
where then will be their presumptuous claim ? Then they 
shall find, that God is not their Father, because they 
would not be his people. As they would not consent that 
God by his Spirit should dwell in them, so the tabernacle 
of wickedness shall have no fellowship with him, nor the 
wicked inhabit the city of God. Only they that walked 
with God here, shall live and be happy with him in 
heaven. Little does the world know what a loss that soul 
hath who loses God ! What a dungeon would the earth 
be, if it had lost the sun ! What a loathsome carrion the 
body, if it had lost the soul ! Yet all these are nothing to 



128 

the loss of God. As the enjoyment of God is the heaven 
of the saints, so the loss of God is the hell of the ungodly ; 
and as the enjoying of God is the enjoying of all, so the 
loss of God is the loss of all. 

5. (3.) They also lose all delightful affections towards 
God. That transporting knowledge ; those delightful 
views of his glorious face : the inconceivable pleasure of 
loving him ; the apprehensions of his infinite love to us : 
the constant joys of his saints, and the rivers of consola- 
tion with which he satisfies them — Is it nothing to lose all 
this 1 The employment of a king in ruling a kingdom, 
does not so far exceed that of the vilest slave, as this 
heavenly employment exceeds that of an earthly king 
God suits men's employments to their natures. Your 
hearts, sinners, were never set upon God in your lives, 
never warmed with his love, never longed after the enjoy- 
ment of him : you had no delight in speaking or hearing 
of him ; you had rather have continued on earth, if you 
had known how, than to be interested in the glorious 
praises of God. Is it meet then that you should be mem- 
bers of the celestial choir ? . 

6. (4.) They shall be deprived of the blessed society of 
angels and glorified saints. Instead of being companions 
of those happy spirits, and numbered with those trium- 
phant kings, they must be members of the corporation of 
hell, where they shall hare companions of a far different 
nature and quality. Scorning and abusing the saints, 
hating them, and rejoicing in their calamities, was not 
the way to obtain their blessedness. Now you are shut 
out of that company, from which you first shut out your- 
selves ; and are separated from them, with whom you 
would not be joined. You could not endure them in your 
houses, nor towns, nor scarce in the kingdom. You took 
them, as Ahab did Elijah, for the u troublers of the land," 



129 

mid, as the apostles were taken for " men that turned the 
world upside down." If any thing fell out amiss, you 
thought all was owing to them. When they were dead 
or banished, you were glad they were gone, and thought 
the country well rid of them. They molested you by 
faithfully reproving your sins. Their holy conversation 
troubled your consciences, to see them so far excel you. 
It was a vexation to you, to hear them pray, or sing 
praises in their families. And is it any wonder if you be 
separated from them hereafter ? The day is near, when 
they will trouble you no more. Betwixt them and you 
will be a great gulf fixed. Even in this life, while the 
saints were mocked, destitute, afflicted, tormented, and 
while they had their personal imperfections ; yet, in the 
judgment of the Holy Ghost, they were such " of whom 
the world was not worthy." Much more unworthy will 
the world be of their fellowship in glory. 

7. (II.) I know many will be ready to think, they 
could spare these things in this world well enough, and 
why may they not be without them in the world to come ? 
Therefore to show them that this loss of heaven will then 
be most tormenting, let them now consider — their under- 
standings will be cleared to know their loss, and have 
more enlarged apprehensions concerning it — their con- 
sciences will make a closer application of it to themselves 
— their affections will no longer be stupified, nor their 
memories be treacherous. 

8. (1.) The understanding of the ungodly will then be 
cleared, to know the worth of that which they have lost. 
Now they lament not their loss of God, because they never 
knew his excellence ; nor the loss of that holy employ- 
ment and society, for they were never sensible what they 
were worth. A man that has lost a jewel, and took it but 
for a common stone, is never troubled at his loss ; but 

12* 



130 

when he comes to know what he lost, then he laments it. 
Though the understanding of the damned will not be 
sanctified, yet they will be cleared from a multitude of 
errors. They now think that their honors, estates, pleas- 
ures,, health and life, are better worth their labor, than 
the thing* of another world :. but when these things have 
left them in misery, when they experience the things 
which before they did but read and hear of, they will be 
of another mind. They would not believe that water 
would drown, till they were in the sea ; nor the fire burn r 
till they were cast into it ; but when they feel, they will 
easily believe. All that error of mind which made them 
set light by God, and abhor his worship, and vilify his 
people, will then be confuted and removed by experience, 
Their knowledge shall be increased, that their sorrows 
may be increased. Poor souls ! they would be compara- 
tively happy, if their understandings were wholly taken 
from them, if they had no more knowledge than idiots, or 
brute beasts : or if they knew no more in hell, than they 
did upon earth, their loss would less trouble them. How 
happy would they then think themselves, if they did not 
know there is such a place as heaven ! Now, when their 
knowledge would help to prevent their misery, they will 
not know, or will not read or study that they may know : 
therefore, when their knowledge will but feed their con- 
suming fire, they shall know whether they will or not. 
They are now in a dead sleep, and dream they are the 
happiest men in the world ; but when death awakes them, 
how will their judgments be changed in a moment ! and 
they that would not see, shall then see and be ashamed. 

9. (2.) As their understanding will be cleared, so it 
will be more enlarged, and made more capacious to con- 
ceive the worth of that glory which they have lost. The 
strength of their apprehensions, as well as the truth of 



131 

them, will then be increased. What deep apprehensions 
of the wrath of God, the madness of sinning, the misery of 
sinners, have those souls that now endure this misery, in 
comparison with those on earth, that do but hear of it. 
What sensibility of the worth of life has the condemned 
man that is going to be executed, compared with what he 
was wont to have in the time of his prosperity ! Much 
more will the actual loss of eternal blessedness make the 
damned exceedingly apprehensive of the greatness of their 
loss : and as a large vessel will hold more water than a 
shell, so will their more enlarged understandings contain 
more matter to feed their torment, than their shallow 
capacity can now do. 

10. (3.) Their consciences also will make a truer and 
closer application of this doctrine to themselves, which 
will exceedingly tend to increase their torment. It will 
then be no hard matter to them to say, " This is my loss ! 
and this is my everlasting remediless misery ! '* The 
want of this self-application is the main cause why they 
are so little troubled now. They are hardly brought to 
believe that there is such a state of misery ; but more 
hardly to believe that it is like to be their own. This 
makes so many sermons lost to them, and all threatenings 
and warnings in vain. Let a minister of Christ show 
them their misery ever so plainly and faithfully, they will 
not be persuaded they are so miserable. Let him tell 
them of the glory they must lose, and the sufferings they 
must feel, and they think he means not them, but some 
notorious sinners. It is one of the hardest things in the 
world, to bring a wicked man to know that he is wicked, 
or to make him see himself in a state of wrath and con- 
demnation. Though they may easily find, by their 
strangeness to the new-birth, and their enmity to holiness, 
that they never were partakers of them ; yet they as verily 



132 

expect to see God, and be saved, as if they were the most 
sanctified persons in the world. How seldom do men 
cry out, after the plainest discovery of their state, I am 
the man ! or acknowledge, that if they die in their present 
condition, they are undone for ever ! But when they 
suddenly find themselves in the land of darkness, feel 
themselves in scorching flames, and see they are shut out 
of the presence of God for ever ; then the application of 
God's anger to themselves will be the easiest matter in 
the world ; they will then roar out these forced confes- 
sions, " O my misery ! O my folly ! O my inconceivable, 
irrecoverable loss !" 

11. (4.) Then will their affections likewise be more 
lively, and no longer stupified. A hard heart now makes 
heaven and hell seem but trifles. We have showed them 
everlasting glory and misery, and they are as men asleep ; 
our words are as stones cast against a wall, which fly 
back in our faces. We talk of terrible things, but it is to 
dead men ; we search the wounds, but they never feel 
us : we speak to rocks rather than to men ; the earth will 
as soon tremble as they. But when these dead souls are 
revived, what passionate sensibility ! what working affec- 
tions ! what pangs of horror ! what depth of sorrow will 
there then be ! How violently will they fly in their own 
faces ! How will they rage against their former madness ! 
The lamentations of the most affectionate wife for the 
loss of her husband, or of the tenderest mother for the 
loss of her children, will be nothing to theirs for the loss 
of heaven. O the self-accusing and self-tormenting fury 
of those forlorn creatures ! How will they even tear their 
own hearts, and be God's executioners upon themselves ! 
As themselves were the only meritorious cause of their 
sufferings, so themselves will be the chief executioners. 
Even Satan, as he was not so great a cause of their sin- 



133 

ning as themselves, he will not be so great an instrument 
of their torment. How happy would they think them- 
selves then, if they were turned into rocks, or any thing 
that had neither passion nor sense ! How happy, if they 
could then feel, as lightly as they were wont to hear! if 
they could sleep out the time of execution, as they did the 
time of the sermons that warned them of it ! But their 
stupidity is gone : it will not be, 

12. (5.) Their memories will moreover be as large and 
strong as their understanding and affections. Could they 
but lose the use of their memory, their loss of heaven 
being forgot, would little trouble them. Though they 
would account annihilation a singular mercy, they cannot 
lay aside any part of their being. Understanding, con- 
science, affections, memory, must all live to torment them ? 
which should have helped to their happiness. As by 
these they should have fed upon the love of God, and 
drawn forth perpetually the joys of his presence, so by 
these must they feed upon his wrath, and draw forth 
continually the pains of his absence. Now they have 
no leisure to consider, nor. any room in their memories 
for the things of another life ; but then they shall have 
nothing else to do : their memories shall have no other 
employment. God would have had the doctrine of their 
eternal state "written on the posts of their doors, on their 
hands and hearts : " he would have had them mind it, 
" and mention it when they lay down and rose up, when 
they sat in their houses, and when they walked by the 
way ;" and seeing they rejected this counsel of the Lord, 
therefore it shall be written always before them in the 
place of their thraldom, that, which way soever they look, 
they may still behold it. It will torment them to think of 
the greatness of the glory they have lost. If it had been 
what they could have spared, or a loss to be repaired with 



134 

any thing else, it had been a smaller matter. If it had 
been health, or wealth, or friends, or life, it had been 
nothing. But, O ! to lose that exceeding eternal weight 
of glory ! — It will also torment them to think of the 
possibility they once had of obtaining it. Then they will 
remember, " Time was, when I was as fair for the 
kingdom as others. I was set upon the stage of the world : 
if I had played my part wisely and faithfully, I might now 
have had possession of the inheritance. I, who am now 
tormented with these damned fiends, might have been 
among yonder blessed saints. The Lord did set before 
me life and death ; and having chosen death, I deserve to 
suffer it. The prize was held out before me : if I had 
run well, I might have obtained it; if I had striven, I 
might have had the victory : if I had fought valiantly, I 
had been crowned." — It will yet more torment them to 
remember, that their obtaining the crown was not only 
possible, but very probable. It will wound them to think, 
if I had once the gales of the Spirit ready to have assisted 
me. I was proposing to be another man, to have cleaved 
to Christ, and forsake the world. I was almost resolved 
to have been wholly for God. I was once even turning 
from my base seducing lusts. I had cast off my old com- 
panions, and was associating with the godly — Yet I turned 
back, lost my hold, and broke my promises. I was 
almost persuaded to be a real Christian, yet I conquered 
those persuasions. What workings • were in my heart, 
when a faithful minister pressed home the truth ! O how 
fair was I once for heaven ! I almost had it, and yet I 
have lost it. Had I followed on to seek the Lord, I had 
now been blessed among the saints." 

13. It will exceedingly torment them to remember their 
lost opportunities. " How many weeks, and months, and 
years, did I lose, which if I had improved, I might now 



135 

have been happy ! Wretch that I was ! could I find no 
time to study the work, for which I had all my time ? no 
time among all my labors, to labor for eternity ? Had I 
time to eat, and drink, and sleep, and none to save my 
soul? Had I time for mirth and vain discourse, and 
none for prayer ? Could I take time to secure the world, 
and none to try my title to heaven ? O precious time ! I 
had once enough, and now I must have no more. I had 
once so much, I knew not what to do with it ; and now it 
is gone, and cannot be recalled. O that I had but one of 
those years to live over again ! How speedily would I 
repent ! How earnestly would I pray ! How diligently 
would I hear ! How closely would I examine my state ! 
How strictly would I live ! But it is now too late, alas ! 
too late ! " 

14. It will add to their calamity to remember how 
oft they were persuaded to return. " Fain would the 
minister have had me escape these torments. With what 
love and compassion did he beseech me ! and yet I did 
but make a jest of it. How often did he convince me ! 
and yet I stifled all these convictions. How did he open 
to me my very heart ! and yet I was loath to know the 
worst of myself. O how glad would he have been, if he 
could have seen me cordially turn to Christ ! My godly 
friends admonished me : they told me what would become 
of my wilfulness and negligence at last ; but I neither 
believed nor regarded them. How long did God himself 
condescend to entreat me ! ' How did the Spirit strive 
with my heart, as if he was loath to take a denial ! How 
did Christ stand knocking, one Sabbath after another, and 
crying to me, i Open sinner, open thy heart to thy Saviour, 
and I will come in, and sup with thee, and thou with me ! 
Why dost thou delay ? How long shall thy vain thoughts 
lodge within thee? Wilt thou not be pardoned, and 



136 



I :: 



sanctified, and made happy ? "When shall it once be 1 
— O how the recollections of such divine pleadings will 
passionately transport the damned with self-indignation ! 
( -' Must I tire out the patience of Christ ? Must I make 
the God of heaven follow me in vain, till I had wearied 
him with crying to me, Repent ! return ! O how justly 
is that patience now turned into fury, which falls upon me 
with irresistible violence ! When the Lord cried to me, 
Wilt thou not be made clean ? when shall it once be 1 my 
heart, or at least my practice, answered, Never. And 
now when I cry, How long shall it be till I am freed from 
this torment'? How justly do I receive the same answer, 
Never, never." 

15. It will also be most cutting to remember on what 
easy terms they might have escaped their misery. This 
work was not to remove mountains, nor conquer kingdoms, 
nor fulfil the law to the smallest tittle, nor satisfy justice 
for all their transgressions. The yoke was easy, and the 
burden light, which Christ would have laid upon them. 
It was but to repent, and cordially accept him for their 
Saviour : to renounce all other happiness, and take the 
Lord for their supreme good ; to renounce the world and 
the flesh, and submit to his meek and gracious govern- 
ment ; and to forsake the ways of their own devising, and 
walk in his holy delightful way. "Ah," thinks the poor 
tormented wretch, " how justly do I suffer all this, who 
would not be at so small pains to avoid it ! Where was 
my understanding, when I neglected that gracious offer ; 
when I called the Lord a hard master, and thought his 
pleasant service a bondage, and the service of the devil 
and the flesh the only freedom ? Was I not a thousand 
times worse than mad, when I censured the holy way of 
God as needless preciseness : when I thought the laws of 
Christ too strict, and all too much that I did for the life to 



137 

come? What would all sufferings for Christ and well- 
doing have been, compared with these sufferings that I 
must undergo for ever ! Would not the heaven, which I 
have lost, have recompensed all my losses ? And should 
not all my sufferings have been there forgotten ? What if 
Christ had bid me to do some great matter ; whether to 
live in continual fears and sorrows, or to suffer death a 
hundred times over : should I not have done it ? How 
much more, when he only said, ' Believe and be saved. 
Seek my face, and thy soul shall live. Take up thy cross, 
and follow me, and I will give thee everlasting life.' O 
gracious offer ! O easy terms ! O cursed wretch, that 
would not be persuaded to accept them ! " 

16. This also will be a most tormenting consideration, 
to remember what they sold their eternal welfare for. 
When they compare the value of the pleasures of sin, with 
the value of "the recompense of reward," how will the 
vast disproportion astonish them ! To think of the low 
delights of the flesh, or the applauding breath of mortals, 
or the possessing heaps of gold, and then to think of ever- 
lasting glory. " This is all I had for my soul, my God, 
my hopes of blessedness ! " It cannot possibly be ex- 
pressed how these thoughts will tear his very heart. Then 
will he exclaim against his folly — " O miserable wretch ! 
Did I set my soul to sale for so base a price ? Did I part 
with my God for a little dirt and dross ; and sell my 
Saviour, as Judas, for a little silver ? I had but a 
dream of delight, for my hopes of heaven ; and now I am 
awakened, it is all vanished. My morsels are now turned 
to gall, and my cups to wormwood. When they were 
past my taste, the pleasures perished. And is this all that 
I have had for the inestimable treasure? What a mad 
exchange did I make ! What if I had gained all the 
world, and lost my soul 1 But, alas ! how small a part of 
13 



13S 

the world was it for which I gave up my part in glory ! jy 
O that sinners would think of this, when they are swim- 
ming in the delights of the flesh, and studying how to be 
rich and honorable in the world ! When they are des- 
perately venturing upon known transgression, and sinning 
against the checks of conscience ! 

17. It will add yet more to their torment, when they 
consider that they most wilfully procured their own 
destruction. Had they been forced to sin, it would much 
abate the rage of their consciences ; or if they were pun- 
ished for another man's transgressions ; or any other had 
been the chief author of their ruin. But to think it was 
the choice of their own will, and that none in the world 
could have forced them to sin against their wills ; this will 
be a cutting thought, " Had I not enemies enough in 
the world, (thinks this miserable creature,) but I must be 
an enemy to myself? God would never give the devil, 
nor the world, so much power over me, as to force me to 
commit the least transgression. They could but entice : 
it was myself that yielded, and did the evil. And must I 
lay hands upon my own soul ; and imbrue my hands in 
my own blood ? Never had I so great an enemy as my- 
self. Never did God offer any good to my soul, but I 
resisted him. He hath heaped mercy upon me, and 
renewed one deliverance after another, to draw my heart 
to him ; yea, he hath gently chastised me, and made me 
groan under the fruit of my disobedience : and though I 
promised largely in my affliction, yet never was I heartily 
willing; to serve him." Thus will it gnaw the hearts of 
these sinners, to remember that they were the cause of 
their own undoing ; and that they wilfully and obstinately 
persisted in their rebellion, and were mere volunteers in 
the service of the devil. 

8. The wound in their consciences will be yet deeper, 



139 

when they shall not only remember it was their own 
doing, but that they were at so much cost and pains for 
their own damnation. What great undertakings did they 
engage in to effect their ruin ; to resist the Spirit of God ; 
to overcome the power of mercies, judgments, and even 
the word of God ; to subdue the power of reason, and 
silence conscience ! All this they undertook and per- 
formed. Though they walked in continual danger of the 
wrath of God, and knew he could lay them in the dust, 
and cast them into hell in a moment ; yet would they run 
upon all this. O the labor it costs sinners to be damned ! 
Sobriety, with health and ease, they might have had at a 
cheaper rate ; yet they will rather have gluttony and 
drunkenness, with poverty, shame, and sickness. Con- 
tentment they might have, with ease and delight ; yet 
they will rather have covetousness and ambition, though 
it costs them cares and fears, labor of body, and distraction 
of mind. Though their anger be self-torment, and re- 
venge and envy consume their spirits ; though uncleanness 
destroy their bodies, estates, and good names ; yet will 
they do and suffer all this, rather than suffer their souls to 
be saved. With what rage will they lament their folly, 
and say, " Was damnation worth all my cost and pains ? 
Might I not have been damned on free cost, but I must 
purchase it so dearly 1 I thought I could have been 
saved without so much ado, and could I not have been 
destroyed without so much ado 1 Must I so laboriously 
work out my own damnation, when God commanded me 
to work out my own salvation ? If I had done as much 
for heaven, as I did for hell, I had surely had it. I cried 
out of the tedious way of godliness, and the painful course 
of self-denial ; and yet I could be at a great deal more 
pains for Satan and for death. Had I loved Christ as 
strongly as I did my pleasures, and profits, and honors, 



140 

and thought on him as often, and sought him as painfully, 
O how happy had I now been ! But justly do I suffer the 
flames of hell, for buying them so dear, rather than have 
heaven when it was purchased to my hands ! " 

19. O that God would persuade thee, Reader^ to take 
up these thoughts now, for preventing the inconceivable 
calamity of taking them up in hell as thy own tormentor ! 
Say not that they are only imaginary. Read what Dives 
thought, being in torments. As the joys of heaven are 
chiefly enjoyed by the rational soul in its rational actings., 
so must the pains of hell be suffered. As they will be 
men still > so will they feel and act as men. 



141 



CHAPTER VI. 

The misery of those, who, besides losing the Saints' 
Rest, lose the Enjoyments of Time, and suffer the 
Torments of Hell. 

Sect. 1. The connection of this with the preceding chapter. 2. 
(I.) The enjoyments of time which the damned lose : 3. (1.) 
Their presumptuous belief of their interest in God and Christ ; 3. 
(2.) All their hopes ; 5. (3.) All their peace of conscience ; 6. (4.) 
All their carnal mirth ; 7. (5.) All their sensual delights. 8. (II.) 
The torments of the damned are exceeding great : 9. (1.) The 
principal Author of them is God himself: 10. (2.) The place or 
state of torment; 11. (3,) These torments are the effects of divine 
vengeance ; 12. (4.) God will take pleasure in executing them ; 

13. (5.) Satan and sinners themselves will be God's executioners ; 

14. (6.) These torments will be universal ; 15. (7.) without any 
mitigation ; 16. (8.) and eternal. 17. The obstinate sinner con- 
vinced of his folly in venturing on these torments ; 18. And en- 
treated to fly for safety to Christ 

1. As godliness hath a promise of the life that now is, 
and of that which is to come ; and if we " seek first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness," then all meaner 
" things shall be added unto us ; " so also are the ungodly 
threatened with the loss both of spiritual and temporal 
blessings ; and because they sought not first God's king- 
dom and righteousness, therefore shall they lose both it 
and that which they did seek, and there " shall be taken 
from them that little which they have." If they could but 
have kept their present enjoyments, they would not have 
much cared for the loss of heaven. If they had lost and 
forsaken all for Christ, they would have found all again in 
13* 



142 

him ; for he would have been all in all to them. But now 
they have forsook Christ for other things, they shall lose 
Christ, and that also for which they forsook him ; even 
the enjoyments of time, besides suffering the torments of 
hell. 

2. (I.) Among the enjoyments of time, they shall par- 
ticularly lose — their presumptuous belief of their interest 
in the favor of God, and the merits of Christ — all their 
hopes — all their false peace of conscience — all their carnal 
mirth — and all their sensual delights. 

3. (1.) They shall lose their presumptuous belief of 
their interest in the favor of God, and the merits of Christ, 
This false belief now supports their spirits, and defends 
them from the terrors that would otherwise seize upon 
them. But w T hat will ease their trouble, when they can 
believe no longer, nor rejoice any longer 1 If a man be 
near to the greatest mischief, and yet strongly conceit that 
he is in safety, he may be as cheerful as if all were well 
If there were no more to make a man happy, but to 
believe that he is so, or shall be so, happiness would be far 
more common than it is like to be. As true faith is the 
leading grace in the regenerate, so is false faith the lead- 
ing vice in the unregenerate. Why do such multitudes 
sit still, when they might have pardon, but that they verily 
think they are pardoned already? If you could ask 
thousands in hell, what madness brought them thither ? 
they would most of them answer, " We made sure of being 
saved, till we found ourselves damned. We would have 
been more earnest seekers of regeneration, and the power 
of godliness, but we verily thought we were Christians 
before. We have flattered ourselves into these torments, 
and now there is no remedy.*'* Reader, I must in faith- 
fulness tell thee, that the confident belief of their good 
state which the careless, unholy, unhumbled multitude so 



143 

commonly boast of, will prove in the end but a soul-damn- 
ing delusion. There is none of this believing in hell. 
It was Satan's stratagem, that being blindfold they might, 
follow him the more boldly; but then he will uncover 
their eyes, and they shall see where they are. 

4. (2.) They shall lose also all their hopes. In this 
life, though they were threatened with the wrath of God, 
yet their hope of escaping it bore up their hearts, We 
can now scarce speak with the vilest drunkard, or swearer, 
or scoffer, but he hopes to be saved for all this. O happy 
world, if salvation were as common as this hope ! Nay, 
so strong are men's hopes, that they will dispute the cause 
with Christ himself at judgment, and plead their " having 
eat and drank in his presence, and prophesied in his name, 
and in his name cast out devils ; " they will stiffly deny 
that ever they neglected Christ in hunger, nakedness, or 
in prison, till he confutes them with the sentence of their 
condemnation. O the sad state of those men, when 
they must bid farewell to all their hopes ! " When a 
wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish ; and the 
hope of unjust men perisheth. The eyes of the wicked 
shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall 
be as the giving up of the ghost." The giving up the 
ghost, is a fit, but terrible resemblance of a wicked man 
giving up his hopes. As the soul departeth not from the 
body without the greatest pain ; so doth the hope of the 
wicked depart. The soul departs from the body suddenly, 
in a moment, which hath there delightfully continued so 
many years : just so doth the hope of the wicked depart. 
The soul will never more return to live with the body in 
this world ; and the hope of the wicked takes an everlast- 
ing farewell of his soul. A miracle of resurrection shall 
again unite soul and body, but there shall be no such 
miraculous resurrection of the damned' s hope. Methinks, 



144 

it is the most pitiable sight this world affords, to see such 
an ungodly person dying, and to think of his soul and his 
hopes departing together. With what a sad change he 
appears in another world ! Then if a man could but ask 
that hopeless soul, " Are you as confident of salvation as 
you were wont to be 1 " What a sad answer would be 
returned! O that careless sinners would be awakened to 
think of this in time ! Reader, rest not till thou canst 
give a reason of all thy hopes grounded upon Scripture- 
promises — that they purify thy heart ; that they quicken 
thy endeavors in godliness ; that the more thou hopest, 
the less thou sinnest, and the more exact is thy obedience. 
If thy hopes be such as these, go on in the strength of the 
Lord, hold fast thy hope, and never shall it make thee 
ashamed. But if thou hast not one sound evidence of a 
work of grace on thy soul, cast away thy hopes. Despair 
of ever being saved, except thou be born again; or of 
seeing God, without holiness ; or of having part in Christ, 
except thou love him above father, mother, or thy own 
life. This kind of despair is one of the first steps to 
heaven. If a man be quite out of his way, what must be 
the first means to bring him in again ? He must despair 
of ever coming to his journey's end in the way that he is 
in. If his home be eastward, and he is going westward, 
as long as he hopes he is right, he will go on ; and as 
long as he goes on hoping, he goes farther amiss. When 
he despairs of coming home, except he turn back, then 
he will return, and then he may hope. Just so it is, 
sinner, with thy soul : thou art born out of the way to 
heaven, and hast proceeded many a year ; thou goest on, 
and hopest to be saved, because thou art not so bad as 
many others. Except thou throwest away those hopes, 
and see that thou hast all this while been quite out of the 
way to heaven, thou wilt never return and be saved. 



145 

There is nothing in the world more likely to keep thy soul 
out of heaven, than thy false hopes of being saved, while 
thou art out of the way to salvation. See then how it will 
aggravate the misery of the damned, that, with the loss of 
heaven they shall lose all that hope of it which now 
supports them. 

5. (3.) They will lose all that false peace of conscience, 
which makes their present life so easy. Who would think, 
that sees how quietly the multitude of the ungodly live, 
that they must very shortly lie down in everlasting flames ? 
They are as free from the fears of hell as an obedient 
believer ; and for the most part have less disquiet of mind 
than those who shall be saved. Happy men, if this peace 
would prove lasting ! " When they shall say Peace and 
safety ; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as 
travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall not 
escape.' 5 O cruel peace, which ends in such a war ! 
The soul of every man by nature is Satan's garrison : all 
is at peace in such a man till Christ comes, and gives it 
terrible alarms of judgment and hell, batters it with the 
ordnance of his threats and terrors, forces it to yield to 
his mere mercy, and take him for the Governor— then 
doth he cast out Satan, " overcome him, take from him 
all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils," 
and then doth he establish a firm and lasting peace. If 
therefore thou art yet in that first peace, never think it 
will endure. Can thy soul have lasting peace, in enmity 
with Christ? Can he have peace against whom God 
proclaims war ? I wish thee no greater good, than that 
God break in upon thy careless heart, and shake thee out 
of thy false peace, and make thee lie down at the feet of 
Christ, and say, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to 
do ? " and so receive from him a better and surer peace, 
which will never be quite broken, but be the beginning of 



146 

thy everlasting peace, and not perish in thy perishing, as 
the groundless peace of the world will do. 

6. (4.) They shall lose all their carnal mirth. They 
will themselves say of their "laughter, it is mad ; and of 
their mirth, what doeth it ? " It was but " as the crack- 
ling of thorns under a pot." It made a blaze for a while, 
but it was presently gone, and returned no more. The 
talk of death and judgment was irksome to them, because 
it damped their mirth. They could not endure to think 
of their sin and danger, because these thoughts sunk their 
spirits. They knew not what it was to weep for sin, or to 
humble themselves under the mighty hand of God. They 
could laugh away sorrow, and sing away cares, and drive 
away those melancholy thoughts. To meditate, and pray, 
they fancied would be enough to make them miserable, or 
run mad. Poor souls ! what a misery will that life be, 
where you shall have nothing but sorrow ; intense heart- 
piercing, multiplied sorrow ; when you shall neither have 
the joys of saints, nor your own former joys ! Do you 
think there is one merry heart in hell; or one joyful 
countenance, or jesting tongue 1 You now cry " a little 
mirth is worth a great deal of sorrow : " but surely, a little 
godly sorrow, which would have ended in eternal joy, had 
been worth much more than all your foolish mirth ; for 
the end of such mirth is sorrow. 

7. (5.) They shall also lose all their sensual delights. 
That which they esteemed their chief good, their heaven, 
their god, must they lose, as well as God himself. What 
a fall will the proud ambitious man have from the top of 
his honors ! As his dust and bones will not be known 
from the dust and bones of the poorest beggar ; so neither 
will his soul be honored or favored more than theirs. 
What a number of the great, noble, and learned, will be 
shut out from the presence of Christ! They shall not 



147 

find their magnificent buildings, soft beds, and easy 
couches. They shall not view their curious gardens, 
their pleasant meadows, and plenteous harvests. Their 
tables will not be so furnished, nor attended. The rich 
man is there no more " clothed in purple and fine linen, 
nor fareth sumptuously every day." There is no expect- 
ing the admiration of beholders. They shall spend their 
time in sadness, and not in sports, and pastimes. What 
an alteration will they then find ! The heat of their lust 
will be then abated. How will it even cut them to the 
heart, to look each other in the face ! What an interview 
will there then be, cursing the day that ever they saw one 
another ! O that sinners would now remember and say, 
" Will these delights accompany us into the other world 1 
Will not the remembrance of them be then our torment ? 
Shall we then take this partnership in vice for true friend- 
ship ? Why should we sell such lasting, incomprehensible 
joys for a taste of seeming pleasure ? Come, as we have 
sinned together, let us pray together, that God would 
pardon us ; and let us help one another towards heaven, 
instead of helping to deceive and destroy each other." O 
that men knew but what they desire, when they would so 
fain have all things suited to the desires of the flesh ! It 
is but to desire their temptations to be increased and their 
snares strengthened. 

8. (II.) As the loss of the saint's rest will be aggravated 
by losing the enjoyments of time, it will be much more so 
by suffering the torments of hell. The exceeding great- 
ness of such torments may appear by considering — the 
principal Author of them, who is God himself! — the place 
or state of torment ; — that these torments are the fruits of 
divine vengeance — that the Almighty takes pleasure in 
them — that Satan and sinners themselves shall be God's 



148 

executioners — that these torments shall be universal— 
without mitigation — and without end. 

9. (1.) The principal author of hell-torments is God 
himself. As it was no less than God whom the sinners 
had offended, so it is no less than God who will punish 
them for their offences. He hath prepared those torments 
for his enemies. His continued anger will still be 
devouring them. His breath of indignation will kindle 
the flames. His wrath will be an intolerable burden to 
their souls. If it were but a creature they had to do with, 
they might better bear it. Wo to him that falls under the 
strokes of the Almighty 1 " It is a fearful thing to fall 
into the hands of the living God." It were nothing in 
comparison to this, if all the world were against them, or if 
the strength of all creatures were united in one to inflict 
their penalty. They had now rather venture to displease 
God than displease a landlord, a customer, a master, a 
friend, a neighbor, or their own flesh ; but then they will 
wish a thousand times in vain, that they had been hated 
of all the world, rather than have lost the favor of God. 
What a consuming fire is his wrath ! If it be kindled 
here but a little, how do we wither like the grass ! How 
soon doth our strength decay and turn to weakness, and 
our beauty to deformity. The flames do not so easily run 
through the dry stubble, as the wrath of God will consume 
these wretches. They that could not bear a prison, or a 
gibbet, or a fire, for Christ, nor scarce a few scoffs, how 
will they now bear the devouring flames of divine wrath 1 

10. (2.) The place or state of torment is purposely 
ordained to glorify the justice of God. When God would 
glorify his power, he made the worlds. The comely order 
of all his creatures, declareth his wisdom. His providence 
is shown in sustaining all things. When a spark of his 
wrath kindles upon the earth, the whole world, except 



149 

only eight persons, are drowned; Sodom, Gomorrah, 
Admah, and Zeboim, are burnt with fire from heaven ; 
the sea shuts her mouth upon some, the earth opens and 
swallows up others ; the pestilence destroys by thousands. 
What a standing witness of the wrath of God, is the 
present deplorable state of the Jews I Yet the glorifying 
the mercy and justice of God is intended most eminently 
for the life to come. As God will then glorify his mercy 
in a way that is now beyond the comprehension of the 
saints that must enjoy it; so also will he manifest his 
justice to be indeed the justice of God. The everlasting 
flames of hell will not be thought too hot for the rebellious ; 
and, when they have there burned through millions of 
ages, he will not repent him of the evil which has befallen 
them. Wo to the soul that is thus set up as a butt for 
the wrath of the Almighty to shoot at ! and as a bush that 
must burn in the flames of his jealousy, and never be 
consumed ! 

11. (3.) The torments of the damned must be extreme, 
because they are the effect of divine vengeance. Wrath 
is terrible, but revenge is implacable. When the great 
God shall say, " My rebellious creatures shall now pay for 
all the abuse of my patience. Remember how I waited 
your leisure in vain, how I stooped to persuade and en- 
treat you. Did you think I would always be so slighted?" 
Then will he be revenged for every abused mercy, and 
for all their neglects of Christ and grace. O that men 
would foresee this, and please God better in preventing 
their wo ! 

12. (4.) Consider also, that though God had rather 
men would accept of Christ and mercy, yet, when they 
persist in rebellion, he will take pleasure in their execution. 
He tells us, " fury is not in me ; " yet he adds, " who 
would set the briers and thorns against me in battle ; I 

14 



150 

would go through them, I would burn them together.'' 
Wretched creatures ! when he that made them will not 
have mercy upon them, and he that formed them will 
show them no favor. As the Lord rejoiced over them to 
do them good; so the Lord will rejoice over them to 
destroy them, and to bring them to nought. Wo to the 
souls whom God rejoiceth to punish ! " He will laugh at 
their calamity, he will mock when their fear cometh : 
when their fear cometh as desolation, and their destruction 
cometh as a whirlwind : when distress and anguish cometh 
upon them.*' Terrible thing, when none in heaven or 
earth can help them but God, and he shall rejoice in their 
calamity ! Though Scripture speaks of God's laughing 
and mocking, not literally, but after the manner of men ; 
yet it is such an act of God, in tormenting the sinner, 
which cannot otherwise be more fitly expressed. 

13. (5.) Consider that Satan and themselves shall be 
God's executioners. He that was here so successful in 
drawing them from Christ, will then be the instrument of 
their punishment, for yielding to his temptations. That 
is the reward he will give them for all their service : for 
their rejecting the commands of God, forsaking Christ, 
and neglecting their souls at his persuasion. If they had 
served Christ as faithfully as they did Satan, he would 
have given them a better reward. It is also most just, 
that they should be their own tormentors, that they may 
see their whole destruction is of themselves ; and then, 
whom can they complain of but themselves ? 

14. (6.) Consider also that their torment will be 
universal. As all parts have joined in sin, so must they 
all partake in the torment. The soul, as it was the chief 
in sinning, shall be the chief in suffering ; and as it is of 
a more excellent nature than the body, so will its torments 
far exceed bodily torments : and as its joys far surpass all 



151 

sensual pleasures, so the pains of the soul exceed corporeal 
pains.— It is not only a soul, but a sinful soul, that must 
suffer. Fire will not burn, except the fuel be combustible ; 
but if the wood be dry, how fiercely will it burn ? The 
guilt of their sins will be to the damned souls like tinder 
to gunpowder, to make the flames of hell take hold upon 
them with fury. — The body must also bear its part. That 
body, which was so carefully looked to, so tenderly cher- 
ished, so curiously dressed, what must it now endure ! 
How are its haughty looks now taken down ! How little 
will those flames regard its comeliness and beauty ! 
Those eyes, which were wont to be delighted with curious 
sights, must then see nothing but what shall terrify them ! 
an angry God above them, with those saints whom they 
scorned, enjoying the glory which they have lost ; and 
about them will be only devils and damned souls. How 
will they look back, and say, "Are all our feasts, and 
games, and revels, come to this ! ' J Those ears, which 
were accustomed to music and songs, shall hear the 
shrieks and cries of their damned companions ; children 
crying out against their parents, that gave them encourage- 
ment and example in evil ; husbands and wives, masters 
and servants, ministers and people, magistrates and 
subjects, charging their misery upon one another, for 
discouraging in duty, conniving at sin, and being silent, 
when they should have plainly foretold the danger. Thus 
will soul and body be companions in wo. 

15. (7.) Far greater will these torments be, because 
without mitigation. In this life, when told of hell, or if 
conscience troubled their peace, they had comforters at 
hand ; their carnal friends, their business, their company, 
their mirth. They could drink, play, or sleep away their 
sorrows. But now all these remedies are vanished. Their 
hard presumptuous unbelieving heart was a wall to defend 



them against trouble of mind. Satan was himself their 
comforter, as he was to our first mother, " Hath God 
said, ye shall not eat ? ye shall not surely die. Doth God 
tell you that you shall lie in hell l It is no such matter : 
God is more merciful. Or if there be a hell, what need 
you fear it ? Are not you Christians ? Was not the blood 
of Christ shed for you 1 " Thus, as the Spirit of Christ is 
the comforter of the saints, so Satan is the comforter of 
the wicked, Never was a thief more careful lest he 
should awake the people, when he is robbing the house, 
than Satan is not to awaken a sinner. But when the 
sinner is dead, then Satan hath done flattering and 
comforting. Which way, then, will the forlorn sinner look 
for comfort ? They that drew him into the snare, and 
promised him safety, now forsake him, and are forsaken 
themselves. His comforts are gone, and the righteous 
God, whose forewarnings he made light of, will now make 
good his word against him to the least tittle. 

16. (8.) But the greatest aggravation of these torments 
will be their eternity. When a thousand millions of ages 
are past, they are as fresh to begin as the first day. If 
there were any hope of an end, it would ease the damned 
to foresee it; but for ever is an intolerable thought. 
They were never weary of sinning, nor will God be weary 
of punishing. They never heartily repented of sin, nor 
will God repent of their suffering. They broke the laws 
of the eternal God, and therefore shall suffer eternal 
punishment. They knew it was an everlasting kingdom 
which they refused, and what wonder if they are ever- 
lastingly shut out of it. Their immortal souls were guilty 
of the trespass, and therefore must immortally suffer the 
pains. What happy men would they think themselves, if 
they might have lain still in their graves, or might but 
there lie down again ! How will they call and cry, u O 



153 

death, whither art thou now gone ? Now come, and cut 
off this doleful life. O that these pains would break my 
heart, and end my being ! O that I might once at last 
die ! O that I had never had a being ! " These groans 
will the thoughts of eternity wring from their hearts. 
They were wont to think sermons and prayers long ; how 
long then will they think these endless torments ? What 
difference is there betwixt the length of their pleasures 
and their pains ! The one continued but a moment, the 
other endureth through all eternity. Sinner, remember 
how time is almost gone. Thou art standing at the door 
of eternity ; and death is waiting to open the door, and 
put thee in. Go, sleep out a few more nights, and stir 
about a few more days on earth, and then thy nights and 
days shall end : thy thoughts, and cares, and pleasures, 
shall all be devoured by eternity ; thou must enter upon 
the state which shall never be changed. As the joys of 
heaven are beyond our conception, so are the pains of hell. 
Everlasting torment is inconceivable torment. 

17. But methinks I see the obstinate sinner desperately 
resolving, " If I must be damned, there is no remedy. 
Rather than I will live as the Scripture requires, I will 
put it to the venture ; I shall escape as well as the rest of 
my neighbors, and we will even bear it as well as we 
can." Alas ! poor creature, let me beg this of thee, be- 
fore thou dost so flatly resolve, that thou wouldst lend me 
thy attention to a few questions, and weigh them with the 
reason of a man. — Who art thou, that thou shouldst bear 
the wrath of God ? Art thou a god or a man ? What is 
thy strength? Is it not as the strength of wax, or stubble, 
to resist the fire ; or as chaff to the wind ; or as dust be- 
fore the fierce whirlwind 1 If thy strength were as iron, 
and thy bones as brass; if thy foundation were as the 
earth, and thy power as the heavens, yet shouldst thou 
14* 



154 

perish at the breath of his indignation. How much more, 
when thou art but a piece of breathing clay, kept a few 
days from being eaten with worms, by the mere support 
and favor of him whom thou art thus resisting ! — Why 
dost thou tremble at the signs of almighty power and 
wrath ? at claps of thunder, or flashes of lightning ; or 
that unseen power which rends in pieces the mighty oaks, 
and tears down the strongest buildings ; or at the plague, 
when it rageth around thee 1 If thou hadst seen the 
plagues of Egypt, or the earth swallow up Dathan and 
Abiram ; or Elijah bring fire from heaven to destroy the 
captains and their companies, would not any of these 
sights have daunted thy spirit ? How then canst thou 
bear the plagues of hell ? — Why art thou dismayed with 
such small sufferings as befall thee here? A toothache; 
a fit of the gout, or stone ; the loss of a limb, or falling 
into beggary and disgrace 1 And yet all these laid 
together will be one day accounted a happy state, in 
comparison of that which is suffered in hell. — Why does 
the approach of death so much affright thee ? O how cold 
it strikes to thy heart! And would not the grave be 
accounted a paradise, compared with that place of torment 
which thou slightest ? — Is it an intolerable thing to burn 
part of thy body, by holding it in the fire? What then 
will it be to suffer ten thousand times more for ever in 
hell ? — 'Why does the thought or mention of hell occasion 
any disquiet in thy spirit ? And canst thou endure the 
torments themselves ? — Why doth the rich man complain 
to Abraham of his torments in hell ? Or thy dying com- 
panions lose their courage, and change their haughty 
language ? — Why cannot these make as light of hell as 
thyself? — Didst thou never see or speak with a man under 
despair ? How uncomfortable was his talk ! How bur- 
densome his life ! Nothing he possessed did him good : he 



155 

had no sweetness in meat or drink ; the sight of friends 
troubled him ; he was weary of life, and fearful of death. 
If the misery of the damned can be endured, why cannot 
a man more easily endure these foretastes of hell ? What 
if thou shouldst see the devil appear to thee in some 
terrible shape ? Would not thy heart fail thee, and thy 
hair stand on an end ? And how wilt thou endure to live 
for ever, where thou shalt have no other company but 
devils, and the damned, and shalt not only see them, but 
be tormented with them and by them? Let me once 
more ask, if the wrath of God be so light, why did the 
Son of God himself make so great a matter of it? It 
made him " sweat, as it were, great drops of blood falling 
down to the ground." The Lord of life cried, " My soul 
is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." And on the 
cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 
Surely if any one could have borne these sufferings easily, 
it would have been Jesus Christ. He had another measure 
of strength to bear it than thou hast. Wo to thee, sinner, 
for thy mad security ! Dost thou think to find it tolerable 
to thee, which was so heavy to Christ ? Nay, the Son of 
God is cast into a bitter agony, and bloody sweat, only 
under the curse of the law ; and yet thou, feeble, foolish 
creature, makest nothing to bear also the curse of the 
gospel, which requires a much sorer punishment. The 
good Lord bring thee to thy right mind by repentance, 
lest thou buy thy wit at too dear a rate ! 

18. And now, reader, I demand thy resolution, what 
use wilt thou make of all this ? Shall it be lost to thee ? 
or wilt thou consider it in good earnest ? Thou hast cast 
away many a warning of God, wilt thou do so by this 
also? Take heed, God will not always stand warning and 
threatening. The hand of revenge is lifted up, the blow 
is coming, and wo to him on whom it lighteth ! Do?t 



156 

thou throw away the book, and say, it speaks of nothing 
but hell and damnation ? Thus thou usest also to com- 
plain of the preacher. But wouldst thou not have us tell 
thee of these things. Should we be guilty of the blood of 
thy soul, by keeping silent that which God hath charged 
us to make known 1 Wouldst thou perish in ease and 
silence, and have us to perish with thee, rather than 
displease thee, by speaking the truth 1 If thou wilt be 
guilty of such inhuman cruelty, God forbid we should be 
guilty of such sottish folly. This kind of preaching or 
writing, is the ready way to be hated ; and the desire of 
applause is so natural, that few delight in such a displeas- 
ing way. But consider, are these things true, or are they 
not 1 If they were not true, I would heartily join with 
thee against any that fright people without a cause. But 
if these threatenings be the word of God, what a wretch 
art thou, that wilt not hear it, and consider it ! If thou 
art one of the people of God, this doctrine will be a 
comfort to thee, and not a terror. If thou art yet unre- 
generate, methinks thou shouldst be as fearful to hear of 
heaven as of hell, except the bare name of heaven or sal- 
vation be sufficient. Preaching heaven and mercy to 
thee, is entreating thee to seek them, and not reject 
them ; and preaching hell, is but to persuade thee to 
avoid it. If thou wert quite past hope of escaping it, then 
it were in vain to tell thee of hell ; but as long as thou 
art alive, there is hope of thy recovery, and therefore all 
means must be used to awake thee from thy lethargy. 
Alas ! what heart can now possibly conceive, or what 
tongue express, the pains of those souls, that are under 
the wrath of God ! Then, sinners, you will be crying to 
Jesus Christ, " O mercy ! O pity, pity on a poor soul !" 
Why, I do now, in the name of the Lord Jesus, cry to 
thee, " O have mercy, have pity, man, upon thy own soul ! " 



157 

Shall God pity thee, who will not be entreated to pity 
thyself? If thy horse see but a pit before him, thou 
canst scarcely force him in ; and wilt thou so obstinately 
cast thyself into hell, when the danger is foretold thee ? 
" Who can stand before the indignation of the Lord ? and 
who can abide the fierceness of his anger ? " Methinks 
thou shouldst need no more words, but presently cast 
away thy soul-damning sins, and wholly deliver up thyself 
to Christ. Resolve on it immediately, and let it be done, 
that I may see thy face in the rest among the saints. May 
the Lord persuade thy heart to strike this covenant with- 
out any longer delay ! But if thou be hardened unto 
death, and there be no remedy, yet say not another day, 
but that thou wast faithfully warned, and hadst a friend, 
that would fain have prevented thy damnation. 



158 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Necessity of diligently seeking the Saints' Rest, 

Sect 1. The saint's rest surprisingly neglected ; particularly, 2. by 
the worldly-minded ; 3. The profane multitude ; 4. Formal 
professors ; 5 — 8. and by the godly themselves, whether magis- 
trates, ministers, or people. 9. The author mourns the neglect, 
and excites the reader to diligence, by considering, 10. The 
ends we aim at, the work we have to do, the shortness and un- 
certainty of our time, and the diligence of our enemies; 11. Our 
talents, mercies, relations to God, and our afflictions. 12. What 
assistances we have, what principles we profess, and our certainty 
never to do enough. 13. That every grace tends to diligence, 
and to trifle is lost labor ; that much time is misspent, and that our 
recompense and labor will be proportionable. 14. That striving is 
the divine appointment, all men do or will approve it, the best 
Christians at death lament their want of it, heaven is often lost 
for want of it, but never obtained without it. 15. God, Christ, 
and the Holy Spirit are in earnest; God is so in hearing and 
answering prayer; ministers in their instructions and exhorta- 
tions ; all the creatures in serving us ; sinners in serving the 
devil, as we were once, and now are, in worldly things, and in 
heaven and hell all are in earnest. 16. The chapter concludes 
with proposing some awakening questions to the ungodly, and, 
17. also to the godly. 

1. If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the 
saints, why is there no more industrious seeking after it ? 
One would think, if a man did but once hear of such 
unspeakable glory to be obtained, and believed what he 
heard to be true, he should be transported with the 
vehemency of his desire after it, and should almost forget 
to eat and drink, and should care for nothing else, and 



159 

speak of and inquire after nothing else, but how to get 
this treasure. And yet people who hear of it daily, and 
profess to believe it as a fundamental article of their faith, 
do as little mind it, or labor for it, as if they haci never 
heard of any such thing, or did not believe one word they 
hear. This reproof is more particularly applicable to the 
worldly-minded ; the profane multitude ; the formal pro- 
fessors, and even to the godly themselves. 

2. The worldly-minded are so taken up in seeking the 
things below, that they have neither heart nor time to 
seek this rest. O foolish sinners, who hath bewitched 
you 1 The world bewitches men into brute beasts, and 
draws them some degrees beyond madness. See what 
riding and running, what scrambling and catching for a 
thing of nought, while eternal rest lies neglected ! What 
contriving and caring to get a step higher in the world 
than their brethren, while they neglect the kingly dignity 
of the saints ! What insatiable pursuit of fleshly pleasures, 
while they look on the praises of God, the joy of angels, 
as a tiresome burden ! What unwearied diligence in 
raising their posterity, enlarging their possessions, (perhaps 
for a poor living from hand to mouth) while judgment is 
drawing near ; but, how it shall go with them then, never 
puts them to one hour's consideration ! What rising 
early, and sitting up late, and laboring from year to year, 
to maintain themselves and children in credit till they 
die ; but, what shall follow after, they never think on ! 
Yet these men cry, " May we not be saved without so 
much ado?" How early do they rouse up their servants 
to their labor ; but how seldom do they call them to prayer, 
or reading the Scriptures ! What hath this world done 
for its lovers and friends, that it is so eagerly followed, 
and painfully sought after, while Christ and heaven stand 
by, and few regard them ? or what will the world do for 



160 

them for the time to come ? The common entrance into 
it is through anguish and sorrow. The passage through 
it, is with continual care and labor. The passage out of 
it, is the sharpest of all. O unreasonable, bewitched 
men ! Will mirth and pleasure stick close to you ? Will 
gold and worldly glory prove fast friends to you in the 
time of your greatest need ? Will they hear your cries in 
the day of your calamity ? At the hour of your death, 
will they either answer or relieve you ? Will they go 
along with you to the other world, and bribe the judge, 
and bring you off clear, or purchase you a place among 
the blessed ? Why then did the rich man want a drop of 
water to cool his tongue 1 Or are the sweet morsels of 
present delight and honor of more worth than eternal 
rest? And will they recompense the loss of that enduring 
treasure ? Can there be the least hope of any of these ? 
Ah, vile, deceitful world ! how oft have we heard thy 
most faithful servants at last complaining — " O the world 
hath deceived me, and undone me ! It flattered me in 
my prosperity, but now it turns me off in my necessity. 
If I had as faithfully served Christ, as I have served it, 
he would not have left me thus comfortless and hopeless.'"' 
Thus they complain ; and yet succeeding sinners will 
take no warning. 

3. As for the profane multitude, they will not be per- 
suaded to be at so much pains for salvation, as to perform 
the common outward duties of religion. If they have the 
gospel preached in the town where they dwell, it may be 
they will give the hearing to it one part of the day, and 
stay at home the other ; or if the master come to the 
congregation, yet part of his family must stay at home. 
If they want the plain and powerful preaching of the 
gospel, how few are there in a whole town, who will 
travel a mile or two to hear abroad ; though they will go 



161 

many miles to the market for provision for their bodies ! 
They know the Scripture is the law of God, by which 
they must be acquitted or condemned in judgment ; and 
that " the man is blessed who delights in the law of the 
Lord, and in his law doth meditate day and night;" yet 
will they not be at pains to read a chapter once a day. 
If they carry a Bible to church, and neglect it all the 
week, this is the most use they make of it. Though they 
are commanded to pray without ceasing, and to pray 
always ; yet they will neither pray constantly in their 
families, nor in secret. Though Daniel would rather be 
cast to the lions, than forbear praying three times a day 
in his house, where his enemies might hear him ; yet 
these men will rather venture to be an eternal prey to 
Satan, the roaring lion, than thus seek their own safety. 
Or their cold and heartless prayers invite God to a denial : 
for among men it is taken for granted, that he who asks 
but slightly and seldom, cares not much for what he asks. 
They judge themselves unworthy of heaven, who think it 
is not worth their more constant and earnest requests. If 
every door was marked, where families do not, morning 
and evening, earnestly seek the Lord in prayer, that his 
wrath might be poured out upon such prayerless families,, 
our towns would be as places overthrown by the plague, 
the people being dead within, and the mark of judgment 
without. I fear where one house would escape, ten would 
be marked out for death ; and then they might teach their 
doors to pray, " Lord, have mercy upon us," because the 
people would not pray themselves. But especially, if we 
could see what men do in their secret chambers, how few 
would you find in a whole town that spend one quarter of 
an hour, morning and night, in earnest supplication to 
God for their souls! O how little do these men set 
by eternal rest ! Thus do they slothfully neglect all 
15 



1W 

endeavors for their own welfare, except some public duty 
in the congregation, which custom or credit engages them 
to. Persuade them to read good books, learn the grounds 
of religion in their catechism, and sanctify the Lord's-day 
in prayer, and meditation, and hearing the word, and 
forbearing all worldly thoughts and speeches ; and what a 
tedious life do they take this to be ! As if they thought 
heaven were not worth doing so much for. 

4. Another sort are formal professors, who will be 
brought to an outward duty, but to the inward work of 
religion they will never be persuaded. They will preach, 
or hear, or read, or talk of heaven, or pray in their families, 
and take part with the persons or causes that are good, 
and desire to be esteemed among the godly ; but you can 
never bring them to the more spiritual duties ; as, to be 
constant and fervent in secret prayer and meditation ; con- 
scientious in self-examination ; heavenly-minded ; to watch 
over their hearts, words, and ways ; to mortify the flesh, 
and not make provision to fulfil its lusts; to love, and 
heartily forgive an enemy, and prefer their brethren before 
themselves ; to lay all they have, or do, at the feet of 
Christ, and prize his service and favor before all ; to 
prepare to die, and willingly leave all to go to Christ. 
Hypocrites will never be persuaded to any of these. If 
any hypocrite entertains the gospel with joy, it is only in 
the surface of his soul ; he never gives the seed any depth 
of earth : it changes his opinion, but never melts and new- 
moulds his heart, nor sets up Christ there in full power 
and authority. As his religion lies most in opinion, so 
does his chief business and conversation. He is usually 
an ignorant, bold, conceited dealer in controversies, rather 
than an humble embracer of known truth, with love and 
obedience. By his slighting the judgments and person of 
others, and seldom talking with seriousness and humility 



163 

of the great things of Christ, he shows his religion dwells 
in the brain, and not in his heart. The wind of tempta- 
tion carries him away as a feather, because his heart is 
not established with Christ and grace. He never, in 
private conversation, humbly bewails his soul's imperfec- 
tions, or tenderly acknowledges his unkindness to Christ ; 
but gathers his greatest comforts from his being of such a 

judgment or party. The like may be said of the 

worldly hypocrite, who chokes the gospel with the thorns 
of worldly cares and desires. He is convinced that he 
must be religious, or he cannot be saved; and therefore 
he reads, and hears, and prays, and forsakes his former 
company and courses ; but he resolves to keep his hold of 
present things. His judgment may say, God is the chief 
good ; but his heart and affections never said so. The 
world hath more of his affections than God, and therefore 
it is his god. Though he does not run after opinions and 
novelties, like the former, yet he will be of that opinion 
which will best serve his worldly advantage. And as one 
whose spirits are enfeebled by some pestilential disease ; 
so this man's spirits being possessed by the plague of a 
worldly disposition, how feeble is he in secret prayer ! how 
superficial in examination and meditation ! how poor in 
heart-watchings ! how nothing at all in loving and walking 
with God, rejoicing in him, or desiring him ! — So that 
both these, and many other sorts of hypocrites, though they 
will go with you in the easy outside of religion, yet will 
never be at the pains of inward and spiritual duties. 

5. And even the godly themselves are too lazy seekers 
of their everlasting rest. Alas! what a disproportion is 
there between our light and heat ! our profession and pros- 
ecution ! V/ho makes that haste as if it were for heaven ? 
How still we stand ! How idly we work ! How we talk, 
and jest, and trifle away our time ! How deceitfully we 



164 

perform the work of God ! How we hear, as if we heard 
not ; and pray, as if we prayed not ; and examine, and 
meditate, and reprove sin, as if we did it not ; and enjoy 
Christ, as if we enjoyed him not ; as if we had learned to 
use the things of heaven, as the apostle teacheth us to use 
the things of the world ! What a frozen stupidity has 
benumbed us ! we are dying, and we know it, and yet we 
stir not; we are at the door of eternal happiness, or 
misery, and yet we perceive it not ; death knocks, and we 
hear it not ; God and Christ call and cry to us, " To-day, 
if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts ; work 
while it is day, for the night cometh when none can work. 
Now ply your business^ labor for your lives, lay out all 
your strength and time ; now or never ; " and yet we stir 
no more than if we were half asleep. What haste do 
death and judgment make ! how fast do they come on I 
they are almost at us, and yet what little haste we make ! 
Lord, what a senseless, earthly, hellish thing is a hard 
heart ! Where is the man that is in earnest a Christian ? 
Methinks men everywhere make but a trifle of their 
eternal state. They look after it but a little by the by ; 
they do not make it the business of their lives. If I were 
not sick myself of the same disease, with what tears should 
I mix this ink : with what groans should I express these 
complaints! and with what heart-grief should I mourn 
over this universal deadness \ 

6. Do magistrates among us seriously perform their 
work ? Are they zealous for God ? Do they build up his 
house ? Are they tender of his honor ? Do they second 
the word? and fly in the face of sin aud sinners, as the 
disturbers of our peace, and the only cause of all our 
miseries ? Do they improve all their power, wealth, and 
honor, and all their influence, for the greatest advantage 



165 

to the kingdom of Christ, as men that must shortly give 
an account of their stewardship ? 

7. How then are those ministers that are serious in 
their work ! Nay, how mightily do the very best fail in 
this ! Do we cry out of men's disobedience to the gospel 
in the demonstration of the Spirit, and deal with sin as 
the destroying fire in our towns, and by force pull men 
out of it 1 Do we persuade people, as those should, that 
know the terrors of the Lord? Do we press Christ, 
and regeneration, and faith, and holiness, believing that, 
without these, men can never have life ? Do our bowels 
yearn over the ignorant, careless, and obstinate multitude 1 
When we look them in the face, do our hearts melt over 
them, lest we should never see their faces in rest? Do 
we, as Paul, tell them, weeping, of their fleshly and 
earthly disposition? " And teach them publicly, and 
from house to house, at all seasons, and with many tears?" 
And do we entreat them, as for their soul's salvation ? 
Or rather, do we not study to gain the approbation of 
critical hearers ; as if a minister's business were of no 
more weight but to tell a smooth tale for an hour, and 
look no more after the people till the next sermon ? Does 
not carnal prudence control our fervor, and make our 
discourses lifeless, on subjects the most piercing ? How 
gently do we handle those sins, which will so cruelly 
handle our people's souls ! In a word, our want of seri- 
ousness about the things of heaven, charms the souls of 
men into formality, and brings them to this customary 
careless hearing, which undoes them, May the Lord 
pardon the great sin of the ministry in this thing ; and, 
in particular, my own ! 

8. And are the people more serious than magistrates or 
ministers ? How can it be expected ? Reader, look but 

15* 



166 

to thyself, and resolve the question. Ask conscience, and 
suffer it to tell thee truly. Hast thou set thy eternal rest 
before thine eyes, as the great business thou hast to do in 
this world ! Hast thou watched and labored, with all thy 
might, "that no man take thy crown?" Hast thou 
made haste, lest thou shouldst come too late, and die 
before thy work be done ? Hast thou pressed on through 
crowds of opposition, " towards the mark, for the prize of 
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," still " reaching 
forth unto those things which are before ? " Can con- 
science witness your secret cries, and groans, and tears? 
Can your family witness, that you taught them the fear of 
the Lord, and warned them not to go to that place of 
torment ? Can 3-our minister witness, that he has heard 
you cry out " What shall I do to be saved ? " and that 
you have followed him with complaints against your 
corruptions, and with earnest inquiries after the Lord ? 
Can your neighbors about you witness, that you reprove 
the ungodly, and take pains to save the souls of your 
brethren ? Let all these witnesses judge this day between 
God and you, whether you are in earnest about eternal 
rest. You can tell by his work, whether your servant has 
loitered, though you did not see him ; so you may by 
looking at your own work. Is your love to Christ, your 
faith, your zeal, and other graces, strong or weak ? What 
are your joys? What is your assurance? Is all in order 
with you ? Are you ready to die, if this should be the 
day ? Do the souls, among whom you have conversed, 
bless you ? Judge by this, and it will quickly appear 
whether you have been laborers or loiterers. 

9. O blessed rest, how unworthily art thou neglected ! 
O glorious kingdom, how art thou undervalued ! Little 
know the careless sons of men, what a state they set so 
lightly by. If they once knew it, they would surely be 



167 

of another mind. I hope thou, reader, art sensible what 
a desperate thing it is to trifle about eternal rest; and how 
deeply thou hast been guilty of this thyself. And I hope 
also, thou wilt not now suffer this conviction to die. 
Should the physician tell thee, " If you will observe but 
one thing, I doubt not to cure your disease ; " wouldst 
thou not observe it ? So I tell thee, if thou wilt observe 
but this one thing for thy soul, I make no doubt of thy 
salvation — Shake off thy sloth, and put to all thy strength, 
and be a Christian indeed : I know not then what can 
hinder thy happiness. As far as thou art gone from God, 
seek him with all thy heart, and no doubt thou shalt find 
him. As unkind as thou hast been to Jesus Christ, seek 
him heartily, obey him unreservedly, and thy salvation is 
as sure as if thou hadst it already. But full as Christ's 
satisfaction is, free as the promise is, large as the mercy 
of God is ; if thou only talk of these, when thou shouldst 
eagerly entertain them, thou wilt be never the better for 
them : and if thou loiter, when thou shouldst labor, thou 
wilt lose the crown. Fall to work, then, speedily and 
seriously, and bless God that thou hast yet time to do it. 
And to show that I urge thee not without cause, I will 
here add a variety of animating considerations. Rouse 
up thy spirit, and, as Moses said to Israel, " set thy heart 
unto all the words which I testify unto thee this day ; for 
it is not a vain thing, because it is )'our life." May the 
Lord open thy heart, and fasten his counsel effectually 
upon thee ! 

10. Consider how reasonable it is, that our diligence 
should be answerable to the ends we aim at, to the work 
we have to do, to the shortness and uncertainty of our 
time, and to the contrary diligence of our enemies. The 
ends of a Christian's desires and endeavors are so great, 
that no human understanding on earth can comprehend 



168 

them. What is so excellent, so important, or so neces- 
sary, as the glorifying of God, the salvation of our own 
and other men's souls, by escaping the torments of hell, 
and possessing the glory of heaven ? And can a man be 
too much affected with things of such moment ? Can he 
desire them too earnestly, or love them too strongly, or 
labor for them too diligently 1 Do not we know, that if 
our prayers prevail not, and our labor succeeds not, we 
are undone for ever ? — The work of a Christian here is 
very great and various. The soul must be renewed ; 
corruptions must be mortified ; custom, temptations, and 
worldly interests, must be conquered; flesh must be 
subdued ; life, friends, and credit must be slighted ; 
conscience on good grounds be quieted; and assurance 
of pardon and salvation attained. Though God must 
give us these without our merit, yet he will not give them 
without our earnest seeking and labor. Besides, there is 
much knowledge to be got, many ordinances to be used, 
and duties to be performed : every age, year, and day ; 
every place we come to ; every person we deal with ; 
every change of our condition, still require the renewing 
of our labor : wives, children, servants, neighbors, friends, 
enemies, all of them call for duty from us. Judge then, 
whether men that have so much business lying upon their 
hands, should not exert themselves ; and whether it be 
their wisdom either to delay or loiter. Time passeth on. 
Yet a few days, and we shall be here no more. Many 
diseases are ready to assault us. We that are now 
preaching, and hearing, and talking, and walking, must 
very shortly be carried, and laid in the dust, and there 
left to the worms in darkness and corruption : we are 
almost there already ; we know not whether we shall have 
another sermon, or Sabbath, or hour. How active should 
they be who know they have so short a space for so great 



169 

a work ! And we have enemies that are always plotting 
and laboring for our destruction. How diligent is Satan 
in all kind of temptations ! Therefore " be sober, be 
vigilant ; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring 
lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour : Whom 
resist, steadfast in the faith." How diligent are all the 
ministers of Satan ! False teachers, scoffers, persecutors, 
and our inbred corruptions, the most busy and diligent of 
all ! Will a feeble resistance serve our turn ! Should 
not we be more active for our own preservation, than our 
enemies are for our ruin ! 

11. It should excite us to diligence, when we consider 
our talents, and our mercies, our relation to God, and the 
afflictions he lays upon us. The^talents which we have 
received are many and great. What people breathing 
on earth have had plainer instructions, or more forcible 
persuasions, or more constant admonitions, in season and 
out of season? Sermons, till we have been weary of 
them; and Sabbaths, till we have profaned them; ex- 
cellent books in such plenty that we know not which to 
read. What people have had God so near them? or 
have seen so much of Christ crucified before their eyes ? 
or have had heaven and hell so open unto them ? What 
speed should such a people make for heaven? How 
should they fly that are thus winged ? And how swiftly 
should they sail that have wind and tide to help them ! 
A small measure of grace beseems not such a people, nor 
will an ordinary diligence in the work of God excuse 
them. — All our lives have been filled with mercies. God 
hath mercifully poured out upon us the riches of sea and 
land, of heaven and earth. We are fed and clothed 
with mercy. We have mercies within and without. To 
number them, is to count the stars or the sands of the 
sea-shore. If there be any difference betwixt hell and 



170 

earth, yea, or heaven and earth, then certainly we have 
received mercy. If the blood of the Son of God be 
mercy, then we are engaged to God by mercy. Shall 
God think nothing too much, nor too good for us ; and 
shall we think all too much that we do for him ? When 
I compare my slow and unprofitable life, with the fre- 
quent and wonderful mercies received, it shames me, it 
silences rne, and leaves me inexcusable. Besides, our 
talents and mercies, our relations to God are most endear- 
ing. Are we his children, and do we not owe him our 
most tender affections, and dutiful obedience? Are we 
" the spouse of Christ," and should we not obey and love 
him? " If he be a Father, where is his honor? and if he 
be a Master, where is his fear ? We call him Master, 
and Lord, and we say well." But if our industry be not 
answerable to our relations, we condemn ourselves in 
saying we are his children or his servants. How will the 
hard labor, and daily toil, which servants undergo to 
please their masters, judge and condemn those who will 
not labor so hard for their Great Master ? Surely there 
is no master like him ; nor can any servants expect such 
fruit of their labors as his servants. — And if we wander 
out of God's way, or loiter in it, how is every creature 
ready to be his rod, to reduce us, or put us on ! Our 
sweetest mercies will become our sorrows. Rather than 
want a rod, the Lord will make us a scourge to ourselves : 
our diseased bodies shall make us groan ; our perplexed 
minds shall make us restless ; our conscience shall be as 
a scorpion in our bosom. And is it not easier to endure 
the labor than the spur ? Had we rather be still afflicted, 
than be up and doing ? And though they that do most, 
meet also with afflictions ; yet surely according to their 
peace of conscience, and faithfulness to Christ, the bitter- 
ness of their cup is abated. 



171 

12. To quicken our diligence in our work, we should 
also consider, what assistances we have, what principles 
we profess, and our certainty that we can never do too 
much. — For our assistance in the service of God, all the 
world are our servants. The sun, moon, and stars, attend 
us with their light and influence. The earth, with all its 
furniture of plants and flowers, fruits, birds, and beasts j 
the sea, with its inhabitants ; the air, the wind, the frost 
and snow, the heat and fire, the clouds and rain, all wait 
upon us while we do our work. Yea, the angels are all 
our ministering spirits. Nay, more, the patience of God 
doth wait upon us ; the Lord Jesus Christ waiteth, in the 
offers of his blood ; the Holy Spirit waiteth, by striving 
with our backward hearts ; besides the ministers of the 
gospel, who study and wait, preach and wait, pray and 
wait, upon careless sinners. And is it not an intolerable 
crime for us to trifle, while angels and men ; yea, the 
Lord himself, stand by, and look on, and, as it were, hold 
us the candle while we do nothing ? I beseech you, 
Christians, whenever you are praying, or reproving 
transgressors, or upon any duty, remember what assist- 
ances you have for your work, and then judge how you 
ought to perform it. — The principles we profess, are, that 
God is the chief good ; that all our happiness consists in 
his love, and therefore it should be valued and sought 
above all things ; that he is our only Lord, and therefore 
chiefly to be served ; that we must love him with all our 
heart, and soul, and strength ; that our great business in 
the world is to glorify God, and obtain salvation. Are 
these doctrines seen in our practice 1 or, rather do not our 
works deny what our words confess 1 — But however our 
assistances and principles excite us to our work, we are 
sure we can never do too much. Could we do all, " we 
are unprofitable servants ; " much more when we are sure 






172 

to fail in all. No man can obey, or serve God too much. 
Though all superstition, or service of our own devising, 
may be called a " being righteous overmuch ; " yet as 
long as we keep to the rule of the Word, we can never be 
righteous too much. The world is mad with malice, 
when they think, that faithful diligence in the service of 
Christ is foolish singularity. The time is near when 
they will easily confess that God could not be loved, or 
served too much, and that no man can be too busy to save 
his soul. We may easily do too much for the world, but 
we cannot for God. 

13. Let us further consider, that it is the nature of 
every grace to promote diligence, that trifling in the way 
to heaven is lost labor, that much precious time is already 
misspent, and that in proportion to our labors will be our 
recompense. — See the nature and tendency of every grace. 
If you loved God, you would think nothing too much that 
you could possibly do to serve him, and please him 
still more. Love is quick and impatient, active and 
observant. If you love Christ you would keep his 
commandments, nor accuse them of too much strictness — 
if you had faith, it would quicken and encourage you — 
if you had the hope of glory, it would, as the spring in the 
watch, set all the wheels of your souls a-going — if you 
had the fear of God, it would rouse you out of your 
slothfulness — if you had zeal, it would inflame, and eat 
you up. In what degree soever thou art sanctified, in the 
same degree thou wilt be serious and laborious in the 
work of God. — But they that trifle, lose their labor. 
Many, who like Agrippa, are but almost Christians, will 
find in the end, they shall be but almost saved. If two 
be running in a race, he that runs slowest loses both 
prize and labor. A man that is lifting a weight, if he put 
not sufficient strength to it, had as good put none at all. 



173 

How many duties have Christians lost, for want of doing 
them thoroughly ? " Many will seek to enter in, and 
shall not be able," who, if they had striven, might have 
been able. Therefore, put to a little more diligence and 
strength, that all you have done already be not in vain. — ■ 
Besides, is not much precious time already lost? With 
some of us childhood and youth are gone ; with some 
their middle age also ; and the" time before us is very 
uncertain. What time have we slept, talked, and played 
away, or spent in worldly thoughts and cares ! How 
little of our work is done ! The time we have lost cannot 
be recalled ; should we not then redeem and improve the 
little which remains 1 If a traveller sleep, or trifle most 
of the day, he must travel so much faster in the evening, 
or fall short of his journey's end. — Doubt not but the 
recompense will be according to your labor. The seed 
which is buried and dead, will bring forth a plentiful 
harvest. Whatever you do, or suffer, everlasting rest will 
pay for all. There is no repenting of labors or sufferings 
in heaven. There is not one says, " Would I had spared 
my pains, and prayed less, or been less strict, and done as 
the rest of my neighbors." On the contrary, it will be 
their joy to look back upon their labors and tribulations, 
and to consider how the mighty power of God brought 
them through all. We may all say, as Paul, " I reckon 
that the sufferings," and labors " of this present time, are 
not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be 
revealed in us." We labor but for a moment, but we 
shall rest for ever. Who would not put forth all his 
strength for one hour, when for that hour's work he may 
be a prince while he lives ? " God is not unrighteous, to 
forget our work and labor of love." Will not " all our 
tears be wiped away," and all the sorrow of our duties be 
then forgotten ? 

16 

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174 

14. Nor does it less deserve to be considered, that 
striving is the divinely appointed way of salvation, that 
all men either do or will approve it, that the best Chris- 
tians at death lament their negligence, and that heaven 
itself is often lost for want of striving, but is never had 
on easier terms. — The sovereign wisdom of God has made 
striving necessary to salvation. Who knows the way to 
heaven better than the God of heaven ? When men tell 
us we are too strict, whom do they accuse, God or us ? 
If it were a fault, it would lie in him that commands, and 
not in us who obey. These are the men that ask us, 
whether we are wiser than all the world besides ? and yet 
they will pretend to be wiser than God. How can they 
reconcile their language with the laws of God? "The 
kingdom of heaven sunereth violence, and the violent 
take it by force. Strive to enter in at the strait gate; 
for many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might ; 
for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor 
wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest. Work out your 
own salvation with fear and trembling. Give diligence to 
make your calling and election sure. If the righteous 
scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner 
appear?" Let them bring all the seeming reasons they 
can, against the holy violence of the saints ; this sufficeth 
me to confute them all, that God is of another mind, and 
he hath commanded me to do much more than I do ; and 
though I could see no other reason for it, his will is reason 
enough. Who should make laws for us, but he that made 
us ? And who should point out the way to heaven, but he 
that must bring us thither? And who should fix the 
terms of salvation, but he that bestows the gift of salva- 
tion ? So that let the world, the flesh, or the devil, speak 
against a holy laborious life, this is my answer — God hath 



175 

commanded it. — Nay, there never was, nor ever will be, a 
man, but will approve such a life, and will one day justify 
the diligence of the saints. And who would not go that 
way, which every man shall finally applaud 1 True, it is 
now a way everywhere spoken against. But let me tell 
you, most that speak against it, in their judgments approve 
of it ; and those that are now against it, will shortly be of 
another mind. If they come to heaven, their mind must 
be changed before they come there. If they go to hell, 
their judgment will then be altered, whether they will or 
not. Remember this, you that love the opinion and way 
of the multitude, why then will you not be of the opinion 
that all will be of? Why will you be of a judgment, 
which you are sure all of you shortly to change 1 O that 
you were but as wise in this, as those in hell ! — Even the 
best of Christians, when they come to die, exceedingly 
lament their negligence. They then wish, " O that I had 
been a thousand times more holy, more heavenly, more 
laborious for my soul ! The world accuses me for doing 
too much, but my own conscience accuses me for doing 
too little. It is far easier bearing the scoffs of the world, 
than the lashes of conscience. I had rather be reproached 
by the devil for seeking salvation, than reproved of God 
for neglecting it." How do their failings thus wound and 
disquiet them, who have been the wonders of the world 
for their heavenly conversation ! It is for want of more 
diligence, that heaven itself is often lost. When they that 
have "heard the Word, and anon with joy received it, 
and have done many things, and heard" the ministers of 
Christ gladly, shall yet perish ; should not this rouse us 
out of our security 1 How far hath many a man followed 
Christ, and yet forsook him, when all worldly interests 
and hopes were to be renounced ! — God hath resolved, that 
heaven shall not be had on easier terms. Rest must 



176 

always follow labor. " Without holiness, no man shall 
see the Lord." Seriousness is the very thing wherein 
consists our sincerity. If thou art not serious, thou art 
not a Christian. It is not only a high degree in Chris- 
tianity, but the very life and essence of it. As fencers 
upon a stage differ from soldiers fighting for their lives, so 
hypocrites differ from serious Christians. If men could 
be saved without this serious diligence, they would never 
regard it ; all the excellencies of God's ways would never 
entice them. But when God hath resolved, that, without 
serious diligence here, you shall not rest hereafter, is it 
not wisdom to exert ourselves to the utmost ? 

15. But to persuade thee, if possible, Reader, .to be 
serious in thy endeavors for heaven, let me add more con- 
siderations. As for instance, consider, — God is in earnest 
with you ; and why should you not be so Avith him 1 In 
his commands, his threatenings, his promises, he means 
as he speaks. In his judgments he is serious. Was he 
not so, when he drowned the world ? when he consumed 
Sodom and Gomorrah 1 and when he scattered the Jews ? 
Is it time then to trifle with God? Jesus Christ was 
serious in purchasing our redemption. In teaching, he 
neglected his meat and drink : in prayer, he continued all 
night : in doing good, his friends thought him beside 
himself: in suffering, he fasted forty days, was tempted, 
betrayed, spit upon, buffeted, crowned with thorns, sweat 
drops of blood, was crucified, pierced, died. There was 
no jesting in all this. And should we not be serious in 
seeking our own salvation 1 — The Holy Spirit is serious 
in soliciting us to be happy. His motions are frequent, 
pressing, and importunate. He striveth with us. He is 
grieved, when we resist him. And should we not be 
serious then in obeying, and yielding to his motions ? — 
God is serious in hearing our prayers, and bestowing his 



177 

mercies. He is afflicted with us. He regardeth every 
groan and sigh, and puts every tear into his bottle. The 
next time thou art in trouble, thou wilt beg for a serious 
regard of thy prayers. And shall we expect real mercies, 
when we are slight and superficial in the work of God? 
The ministers of Christ are serious in exhorting and 
instructing you. They beg of God, and of you ; and 
long more for the salvation of your souls, than for any 
worldly good, If they kill themselves with their labor, 
or suffer martyrdom for preaching the gospel, they think 
their lives are well bestowed, so that they prevail for the 
saving of your souls. And shall other men be so painful 
and careful for your salvation, and you be so careless and 
negligent of your own? — How diligent and serious are all 
the creatures in serving you ! What haste makes the sun 
to compass the world ! The fountains are always flowing 
for thy use ; the rivers still running ; spring and harvest 
keep their times. How hard does thy ox labor for thee 
from day to day ! How speedily does thy horse travel 
with thee ! And shalt thou only be negligent ? Shall all 
these be so serious in serving thee, and thou so careless in 
thy service to God ?— The servants of the world and the 
devil are serious and diligent : they work as if they 
could never do enough : they make haste, as if afraid of 
coming to hell too late : they bear down ministers, sermons, 
and all before them. And shall they be more diligent for 
damnation, than thou for salvation? Hast thou not a 
better master, sweeter employment, greater encourage- 
ments, and a better reward ? — Time was when thou wast 
serious thyself in serving Satan and the flesh, if it be not 
so yet. How eagerly didst thou follow thy sports, thy evil 
company, and sinful delights ! And wilt thou not now be 
as earnest and violent for God ? You are to this day in 
earnest about the things of this life. If you are sick, or 
16* 



178 

in pain, what serious complaints do you utter ! If you 
are poor, how hard do you labor for a livelihood ! And is 
not the business of your salvation of far greater moment ? 
There is no jesting in heaven or hell. The saints have a 
real happiness, and the damned a real misery. There are 
no remiss or sleepy praises in heaven, nor such lamenta- 
tions in hell. All these are in earnest. When thou, 
Reader, shalt come to death and judgment, O what deep, 
heart-piercing thoughts wilt thou have of eternity ! Me- 
thinks I foresee thee already astonished, to think how thou 
couldst possibly make so light of these things. Methinks 
I even hear thee crying out of thy stupidity and madness. 
16. And now, Reader, having laid down these un- 
deniable arguments, I do, in the name of God, demand 
thy resolution — wilt thou yield obedience, or not ? I am 
confident thy conscience is convinced of thy duty. Darest 
thou now go on in thy common careless course, against 
the plain evidence of reason, and commands of God, and 
against the light of thy own conscience'? Darest thou 
live as loosely, sin as boldly, and pray as seldom, as 
before? Darest thou profane the Sabbath, slight the 
service of God, and think of thine everlasting state, as 
carelessly as before 1 Or dost thou not rather resolve to 
gird up the loins of thy mind, and set thyself wholly 
to the work of thy salvation, and break through the 
oppositions, and slight the scoffs and persecutions of the 
world, and "lay aside every weight, and the sin which 
doth so easily beset thee, and run with patience the race 
that is set before thee?" I hope these are thy full 
resolutions. Yet, because I know the obstinacy of the 
heart of man, and because I am solicitous thy soul might 
live, I once more entreat thy attention to the following 
questions ; and I command thee from God, that thou stifle 
not thy conscience, nor resist conviction ; but answer 



179 

them faithfully, and obey accordingly. If, by being 
diligent in godliness, you could grow rich, get honor or 
preferment in the world, be recovered from sickness, or 
live for ever in prosperity on earth ; what lives would you 
lead, and what pains would you take in the service of 
God? And is not the saint's rest a more excellent 
happiness than all this ? If it were felony to break the 
Sabbath, neglect secret or family worship, or be loose in 
your lives, what manner of persons would you then be ? 
And is not eternal death more terrible than temporal ? If 
God usually punished with some present judgment every 
act of sin, as he did the lie of Ananias and Sapphira, 
what kind of lives would you lead ? And is not eternal 
wrath far more terrible ? — If one of your acquaintance 
should come from the dead, and tell you, that he suffered 
the torments of hell for those sins you are guilty of; what 
manner of persons would you afterwards be ! How much 
more should the warnings of God affright you ? — If you 
knew that this were the last day you had to live in the 
world, how would you spend it? And you know not but 
it may be your last, and are sure your last is near. — If you 
had seen the general dissolution of the world, and all the 
pomp and glory of it consumed to ashes, what would such 
a sight persuade thee to do? Such a sight you shall 
certainly see. — If you had seen the judgment-seat, and 
the books opened, and the wicked stand trembling on the 
left hand of the Judge, and the godly rejoicing on the 
right hand, and their different sentences pronounced : 
what persons would you have been after such a sight ? 
This sight you shall one day surely see. If you had seen 
hell open, and all the damned there in their ceaseless 
torments; also heaven opened, as Stephen did, and 
all the saints there triumphing in glory ; what a life would 
you lead after such sights? These you will see before 



180 

it be long. — If you had laid in hell but one year, or 
one day, or hour, and there felt the torments you now 
hear of; how seriously would you then speak of hell, 
and pray against it ! And will you not take God's word 
for the truth of this, except you feel it? — Or if you 
had possessed the glory of heaven but one year, what 
pains would you take rather than be deprived of such 
incomparable glory 1 — Thus I have said enough, if not to 
stir up the sinner to a serious working out his salvation, 
yet at least to silence him, and leave him inexcusable at 
the judgment of God. Only as we do by our friends 
when they are dead, and our words and actions can do 
them no good, yet to testify our affection for them we 
weep and mourn ; so will I also do for these unhappy 
souls. It makes my heart tremble, to think how they 
will stand before the Lord, confounded and speechless : 
when he shall say, " Was the world, or Satan, a better 
friend to you than I? Or had they done more for you 
than I had done ? Try now whether they will save you, 
or recompense you for the loss of heaven, or be as good 
to you as I would have been." What will the wretched 
sinner answer to any of this 1 But though man will not 
hear, we may hope in speaking to God. " O thou that 
didst weep and groan in spirit over a dead Lazarus, pity 
these dead and senseless souls, till they are able to weep 
and groan in pity to themselves ! As thou hast bid thy 
servants speak, so speak now thyself: they will hear thy 
voice speaking to their hearts, who will not hear mine 
speaking to their ears. Lord, thou hast long knocked 
at these hearts in vain ; now break the doors, and enter 
in ! " 

17. Yet to show the godly why they, above all men, 
should be laborious for heaven, I desire to ask them, 
what manner of persons should those be, whom God hath 



181 

chosen to be vessels of mercy ? Who have felt the smart 
of their negligence in their new birth, in their troubles of 
conscience, in their doubts and fears, and in other sharp 
afflictions ? Who have often confessed their sins of 
negligence to God in prayer 1 Who have bound them- 
selves to God by so many covenants ? What manner of 
persons should they be, who are near to God, as the 
children of his family ? who have tasted such sweetness 
in diligent obedience ? who are many of them so un- 
certain what shall everlastingly become of their souls? 
What manner of persons should they be in holiness, 
whose sanctification is so imperfect? whose lives and 
duties are so important to the saving or destroying a 
multitude of souls ? and on whom the glory of the great 
God so much depends? — Since these things are so, I 
charge thee, Christian, in thy Master's name, to consider, 
and resolve the question, " What manner of persons ought 
we to be in all holy conversation and godliness ?" And 
let thy life answer the question as well as thy tongue, 



182 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Mow to discern our Title to the Saints 1 Rest. 

Sect. 1. The folly of men in not inquiring after a title to the saints' 
rest ; 2, and their cause for terror, as long as they are destitute of 
a title. 3. Self-examination is urged upon them; 4. (1.) From 
the possibility of arriving at a certainty; 5 — 9. (2.) From the 
hinderances which will be thrown in our way by Satan, sinners. 
our own hearts, and many other causes ; 10. (3.) From consider- 
ing how easy, common, and dangerous it is to be mistaken ; that 
trying will not be so painful as the neglect ; that God will soon 
try us, and that to try ourselves will be profitable : 11. And there- 
fore the reader is entreated no longer to delay the trial. 12. 
Then, (4.) Directions are given how to try ; 13. (5.) Marks for 
trial are added, particularly, 14. Do we make God our chief 
good ? 15. Do we heartily accept of Christ for our Lord and 
Saviour ? 16, 17. The chapter concludes with illustrating the 
great importance of these two marks. 

1. Is there such a glorious rest so near at hand? And 
shall none enjoy it but the people of God ? What mean . 
most of the world then, to live so contentedly without 
assurance of their interests in this rest, and neglect the 
trying of their title to it? When the Lord has so fully 
opened the blessedness of that kingdom, which none but 
obedient believers shall possess ; and so fully expressed 
those torments, which the rest of the world must eternally 
suffer : methinks they that believe this to be certainly 
true, should never be at any quiet in themselves, till they 
were fully assured of their being heirs of the kingdom. 
Lord, what a strange madness is this, that men, who know 
they must presently enter upon unchangeable joy or pain, 



183 

should yet live as uncertain what shall be their doom, as 
if they had never heard of any such state ; yea, and live 
as quietly and merrily in this uncertainty, as if all were 
made sure, and there were no danger ! Are these men 
alive or dead? Are they awake or asleep? What do 
they think on ? Where are their hearts ? If they have 
but a weighty suit at law, how careful are they to know 
whether it will go for or against tbem ? If they were to 
be tried for their lives at an earthly bar, how careful would 
they be to know whether they should be saved or con- 
demned, especially if their care might surely save them ! 
If they be dangerously sick, they will inquire of the phy- 
sician, What think you, Sir, shall I escape or not? But 
in the business of their salvation, they are content to be 
uncertain. If you ask most men " a reason of the hope 
that is in them," they will say, " Because God is merciful, 
and Christ died for sinners," and the like general reasons, 
which any man in the world may give as well as they : 
but put them to prove their interest in Christ, and in the 
saving mercy of God, and they can say nothing to the 
purpose. If God or man should say to them, what case is 
thy soul in, man? Is it regenerate, sanctified, and par- 
doned, or not? He would say, as Cain of Abel, " I know 
not ; am I my soul's keeper ? I hope well, I trust God 
with my soul ; I shall speed as well as other men do : I 
thank God, I never made any doubt of my salvation." 
Thou hast cause to doubt, because thou never didst doubt ; 
and yet more, because thou hast been so careless in thy 
confidence. What do thy expressions discover, but a 
wilful neglect of thy own salvation? As a ship-master 
that should let his vessel alone, and say, " I will venture 
it among the rocks, and waves, and winds ; I will trust 
God with it; it will speed as well as other vessels." 
What horrible abuse of God is this, to pretend to trust 



184 

God, to cloak their own wilful negligence ! If thou didst 
really trust God, thou wouldst also be ruled by him, and 
trust him in his own appointed way. He requires thee to 
give " diligence to make thy calling and election sure," 
and so trust him. He hath marked thee out a way in 
Scripture, by which thou art charged to search and try 
thyself, and mayest arrive at certainty. Were he not a 
foolish traveller, that would hold on his way, when he 
does not know whether he be right or wrong ; and say, 
" I hope I am right ; I will go on, and trust in God ? " 
Art thou not guilty of this folly in thy travels to eternity ? 
not considering, that a little serious inquiry, whether thy 
way be right, might save thee a great deal of labor, which 
thou bestowest in vain, and must undo again, or else thou 
wilt miss of salvation, and undo thyself. 

2. How canst thou think or speak of the great God 
without terror, as long as thou art uncertain whether he 
be thy father, or thy enemy, and knowest not but all his 
perfections may be employed against thee ? Or of Jesus 
Christ, when thou knowest not whether his blood hath 
purged thy soul ; whether he will condemn or acquit thee 
in judgment ; or whether he be the foundation of thy 
happiness, or a stone of stumbling to break thee, and 
grind thee to powder ? How canst thou open the Bible, 
and read a chapter, but it should terrify thee 1 Methinks 
every leaf should be to thee as Belshazzar's writing on 
the wall, except only that which draws thee to try and 
reform. If thou readest the promises, thou knowest not 
whether they shall be fulfilled to thee. If thou readest 
the threatenings, for any thing thou knowest, thou readest 
thy own sentence. No wonder thou art an enemy to 
plain preaching, and say of the minister, as Ahab of the 
prophet, " I hate him, for he doth not prophecy good 
concerning me, but evil." How canst thou without terror 



185 

join in prayer ? When thou receivest the sacrament, thou 
knowest not whether it be thy bane or bliss. What 
comfort canst thou find in thy friends, and honors, and 
houses, and lands, till thou knowest thou hast the love of 
God with them, and shalt have rest with him when thou 
leavest them? Offer a prisoner, before he knows his 
sentence, either music, or clothes, or preferment; what 
are they to him till he knows he shall escape with his 
life ? for if he knows he must die the next day, it will be 
a small comfort to die rich or honorable. Methinks it 
should be so with thee, till thou knowest thy eternal state. 
When thou liest down to take thy rest, methinks the 
uncertainty of thy salvation should keep thee waking, or 
amaze thee in thy dreams, and trouble thy sleep. Doth 
it not grieve thee to see the people of God so comfortable 
in their way to glory, when thou hast no good hope of 
ever enjoying it thyself? How canst thou think of thy 
dying hour ? Thou knowest it is near, and there is no 
avoiding it, nor any medicine found out that can prevent 
it. If thou shouldst die this day, (and who " knows 
what a day may bring forth?") thou art not certain 
whether thou shalt go to heaven or hell. And canst thou 
be merry, till thou art got out of this dangerous state? 
What shift dost thou make to preserve thy heart from 
horror, when thou rememberest the great judgment-day, 
and everlasting flames? When thou hearest of it, dost 
thou not tremble, as Felix? If the "keepers shook, and 
became as dead men, when they saw the angel come and 
roll back the stone from Christ's sepulchre," how canst 
thou think of living in hell with devils, till thou hast some 
well-grounded assurance that thou shalt escape it ? Thy 
bed is very soft, or thy heart is very hard, if thou canst 
sleep soundly in this uncertain case. 
17 



186 

3. If this general uncertainty of the world about their 
salvation were remediless, then must it be borne as other 
unavoidable miseries. But, alas ! the common cause is 
wilful negligence. Men will not be persuaded to use the 
remedy. The great means to conquer this uncertainty is 
self-examination, or the serious and diligent trying of a 
man's heart and state by the rule of Scripture. Either 
men understand not the nature and use of this duty, or 
else they will not be at the pains to try. Go through a 
congregation of a thousand men, and how few of them 
shall you meet with, that ever bestowed one hour in all 
their lives in a close examination of their title to heaven ! 
Ask thy own conscience, Reader, when was the time, and 
where was the place, that ever thou solemnly tookest thy 
heart to task, as in the sight of God, and didst examine it 
by Scripture, whether it be renewed or not ? whether it 
be holy or not? whether it be set most on God or the 
creatures, on heaven or earth? And when didst thou 
follow on this examination till thou hadst discovered thy 
condition, and passed sentence on thyself accordingly? 
But because this is a work of so high importance, and so 
commonly neglected, I will therefore show — that it is 
possible, by trying to come to a certainty ; — what hinders 
men from trying and knowing their state ; — then offer 
motives to examine — and directions, — together with some 
marks out of Scripture, by which you may try, and 
certainly know, whether you are the people of God or not. 

4. (1.) Scripture shows, that the certainty of salvation 
may be attained, and ought to be labored for, when it tells 
us so frequently, that the saints before us have known 
their justification and future salvation : when it declares, 
that " whosoever believeth in Christ, shall not perish, but 
have everlasting life ; " which it would be in vain to 
declare, if we cannot know ourselves to be believers or 



187 

not : when it makes such a wide difference between the 
children of God, and the children of the devil : when it 
bids us " give diligence to make our calling and election 
sure ; " and earnestly urges us to examine, prove, know 
our own selves, whether we be in the faith, and whether 
Jesus Christ be in us, except we be reprobates : also 
when its precepts require us to rejoice always, to call 
God our Father, to live in his praises, to love Christ's 
appearing, to wish that he may come quickly, and to 
comfort, ourselves with the mention of it. But who can 
do any of these heartily, that is not in some measure sure 
that he is the child of God 1 

5. (2.) Among the many hinderances which keep men 
from self-examination, we cannot doubt but Satan will do 
his part. If all the power he hath, or all the means and 
instruments he can employ, can do it, he will be sure 
above all duties to keep you from this. He is loath the 
godly should have the joy, assurance, and advantage 
against corruption, which the faithful performance of self- 
examination would procure them. As for the ungodly, 
he knows if they should once earnestly examine, they 
would find out his deceits, and their own danger, and so 
be very likely to escape him. How could he get so many 
millions to hell willingly, if they knew they were going 
thither I And how could they avoid knowing it, if they 
did but thoroughly try : having such a clear light and 
sure rule in the Scripture to discover it ? If the snare be 
not hid, the bird will escape it. Satan knows how to 
angle for souls better than to show them the hook and 
line, or fright them away with a noise, or with his own 
appearance. Therefore he labors to keep them from a 
searching ministry ; or to keep the minister from helping 
them to search, or to take off the edge of the Word, that 
it may not pierce and divide ; or to turn away their 



thoughts : or to possess them with prejudice. Satan 
knows when the minister has provided a searching sermon, 
fitted to the state and necessity of a hearer : and therefore 
he will keep him away that day. if it be possible ; or cast 
him into a sleep: or steal away the Word bv the cares 
and talk of the world: or some way prevent its operation. 
6. Another great hinderance to self-examination arises 
from wicked men. Their examples ; their merry company 
and discourse : their continually insisting on worldly 
cerns : their raillery and scofls at godly persons ; also 
their persuasions, allurements, and threats, are each of 
them exceedingly great temptations to security. God 
doth scarcely ever open the eyes of a poor sinner, to see 
that his way is wrong, but presently there is a multitude 
of Satan's apostles ready to deceive and settle him again 
in the quiet possession of his former master. ""What ! '" 
say they, K da you make a doubt of your salvation, who- 
have lived so well, and done nobody any harm ? God is 
merciful : and if such as you shall not be saved. God help 
a great many ! What do you think of all your forefathers ? 
And what will become of all your friends and neighbors 
that live as you do ? Will they all be damned I Come» 
come, if you hearken to these preachers, they will drive 
you out of your wits. Are not all men sinners ! And 
did not Christ die to save sinners I Never trouble vour 
head with these thoughts, and you shall do well.'"'' O how 
manv thousands have such charms kept asleep in deceit 
and security, till death and hell have awakened them ! 
The Lord calls to the sinner and tells him. " The gate is 
strait, the way is narrow, and few find it : try and 
examine, give diligence to make sure.'' The world cries, 
• Never doubt, never trouble yourselves with these 
thoughts." In this strait, sinner, consider, it is Christ, 
and not your forefathers, or neighbors, or friends, that must 



189 

judge you at last ; and if Christ condemn you, these cannot 
save you : therefore common reason may tell you, that it is 
not from the words of ignorant men, but from the word of 
God you must fetch your hopes of salvation. When Ahab 
would inquire among the multitude of flattering prophets, 
it was his death. They can flatter men into the snare, 
but they cannot tell how to bring them out. " Let no 
man deceive you with vain words ; for because of these 
things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of 
disobedience : be not ye therefore partakers with them." 

7. But the greatest hinderances are in men's own hearts. 
— Some are so ignorant, that they know not what self- 
examination is, nor what a minister means when he 
persuadeth them to try themselves : or they know not 
that there is any necessity for it, but think every man 
is bound to believe that his sins are pardoned, whether it 
be true or false, and that it is a great fault to make any 
question of it ; or they do not think that assurance can be 
attained; or that there is any great difference between 
one man and another, but that we are all Christians, and 
therefore need not trouble ourselves any further ; or at 
least they know not wherein the difference lies. They 
have as gross an idea of regeneration as Nicodemus had. 
— Some will not believe that God will ever make such a 
difference betwixt men in the life to come, and therefore 
will not search themselves, whether they differ here. — 
Some are so stupified, say what we can to them, that they 
lay it not to heart, but give us the hearing, and there is 
the end. — Some are so possessed with self-love and pride, 
that they will not so much as suspect they are in danger : 
like a proud tradesman, who scorns the prudent advice of 
casting up his books ; as fond parents will not believe or 
hear any evil of their children. — Some are so guilty, that 
they dare not try, and yet they dare venture on a more 
17* 



190 

dreadful trial. — Some are so in love with sin, and so 
dislike the way of God, that they dare not try their ways, 
lest they be forced from the course they love, to that which 
they loathe. — Some are so resolved never to change their 
present state, that they neglect examination as a useless 
thing. Before they will seek a new way, when they have 
lived so long, and gone so far, they will put their eternal 
state to the venture, come of it what will. Many men 
are so busy in the world, that they cannot set themselves 
to the trying their title to heaven. Others are so clogged 
with slothfulness of spirit, that they will not be at the 
pains of an hour's examination of their own hearts. — But 
the most common and dangerous impediment is that false 
faith and hope, commonly called presumption, which 
bears up the hearts of the greatest part of the world, and 
so keeps them from suspecting their danger. 

8. And if a man should break through all these hin- 
derances, and set upon the duty of self-examination, yet 
assurance is not presently attained. Too many deceive 
themselves in their inquiries after it, through one or other 
of the following causes — There is such confusion and 
darkness in the soul of man, especially of an unregenerate 
man, that he can scarcely tell what he doth, or what is in 
him. — As in a house, where nothing is in its proper place, 
it will be difficult to find what is wanted ; so it is in 
the heart where all things are in disorder. — Most men 
accustom themselves to be strangers at home, and too 
little observe the temper and motions of their own hearts. 
— Many are resolved what to judge before they try ; like 
a bribed judge, who examines as if he would judge 
uprightly, when he is previously resolved which way the 
cause shall go. — Men are partial in their own cause : 
ready to think their great sins small, and their small sins 
none ; their gifts of nature to be the work of grace, and to 



191 

say, " All these have I kept from my youth ; I am rich, 
and increased in goods, and have need of nothing. — Most 
men search but by the halves. If it will not easily and 
quickly be done, they are discouraged, and leave off. 
They try themselves by false marks and rules ; not 
knowing wherein the truth of Christianity doth consist ; 
some looking beyond, and some short of the Scripture- 
standard. And frequently they miscarry in this work by 
attempting it in their own strength : as some expect the 
Spirit should do it without them, so others attempt it 
themselves, without seeking or expecting the help of 
the Spirit. Both these will certainly miscarry in their 
assurance. 

9. Some other hinderances keep even true Christians 
from comfortable certainty. As for instance : The weak- 
ness of grace. Small things are hardly discerned. Most 
Christians content themselves with a small measure of 
grace, and do not follow on to spiritual strength and 
manhood. The chief remedy for such would be to follow 
on their duty, till their grace be increased, Wait upon 
God in the use of his prescribed means, and he will 
undoubtedly bless you with increase. O that Christians 
would bestow most of that time to getting more grace, 
which they bestow in anxious doubtings whether they 
have any or none ; and lay out those serious affections in 
praying for more grace, which they bestow in fruitless 
complaints ! I beseech thee, Christian, take this advice 
as from God ; and then, when thou believest strongly, 
and lovest fervently, thou canst no more doubt of thy 
faith and love, than a man that is very hot can doubt of 
his warmth, or a man that is strong and lusty, can doubt 
of his being alive. Christians hinder their own comfort 
by looking more at signs, which tell them what they are, 
than at precepts, which tell them what they should do : 



192 

as if their present case must needs be their everlasting 
case ; and if they be now unpardoned, there were no 
remedy. Were he not mad, that would lie weeping 
because he is not pardoned, when his prince stands by all 
the while offering him pardon, and persuading him to 
accept of it? Justifying faith, Christian, is not thy 
persuasion of God's special love to thee, but thy accepting 
Christ to make thee lovely. It is far better to accept 
Christ as offered, than spend so much time in doubting 
whether we have Christ or not. — Another cause of distress 
to Christians is, their mistaking assurance for the joy that 
sometimes accompanies it. As if a child should take 
himself for a son no longer than while he sees the smiles 
of his father's face, or hears the comfortable expressions 
of his mouth ; and as if the father ceased to be a father, 
whenever he ceased those smiles and speeches. — The 
trouble of souls is also increased by their not knowing the 
ordinary way of God's conveying comfort. They think 
they have nothing to do but to wait when God will bestow 
it. But they must know, that the matter of their comfort 
js in the promises, and thence they must fetch it as often 
as they expect it, by daily and diligently meditating upon 
the promises ; and in this way they may expect the Spirit 
will communicate comfort to their souls. The joy of the 
promises, and the joy of the Holy Ghost, are one : add to 
this, their expecting a greater measure of assurance than 
God usually bestows, As long as they have any doubting, 
they think they have no assurance. They consider not 
that there are many degrees of certainty. While they are 
here, they shall " know but in part." — Add also, their 
deriving their comfort at first from insufficient grounds. 
This may be the case of a gracious soul, who hath better 
grounds, but doth not see them. As an infant hath life 
before he knoweth it, and many misapprehensions of 



193 

himself and other things, yet it will not follow that he 
hath no life. So when Christians find a flaw in their 
first comforts, they are not to judge it a flaw in their 
safety. Many continue under doubting, through the 
exceeding weakness of their natural parts. Many honest 
hearts have weak heads, and know not how to perform 
the work of self-trial. They will acknowledge the 
premises, and yet deny the apparent conclusion. If God 
do not some other way supply the defect of their reason, 
I see not how they should have clear and settled peace. 
One great and too common cause of distress is, the secret 
maintaining some known sin. This abates the degree of 
our graces, and so makes them more undiscernible. It 
obscureth that which it destroyeth not; for it beareth 
such sway that grace is not in action ; nor seems to stir, 
nor is scarce heard speak for the noise of this corruption. 
It guts out or dimmeth the eye of the soul, and stupifies 
it, that it can neither see nor feel its own condition. 
But especially it provokes God to withdraw himself, his 
comforts, and the assistance of his Spirit, without which 
we may search long enough before we have assurance, 
God hath made a separation between sin and peace. As 
long as thou dost cherish thy pride, thy love of the world, 
the desires of the flesh, or any unchristian practice, thou 
expectest comfort in vain. If a man setteth up his idols 
in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his 
iniquity before his face, and cometh to a minister, or to 
God, to inquire for comfort, instead of comforting him, 
God " will answer him that cometh, according to the 
multitude of his idols." — Another very great and common 
cause of the want of comfort is, when grace is not kept 
in constant and lively exercise. The way of painful 
duty, is the way of fullest comfort. Peace and comfort 
are Christ's great encouragements to faithfulness and 



194 

obedience ; and therefore, though our obedience does not 
merit them, yet they usually rise and fall with our dili- 
gence in duty. As prayer must have faith and fervency 
to procure it success, besides the blood and intercession of 
Christ, so must all other parts of our obedience. If thou 
grow seldom, and customary, and cold in duty, especially 
in thy secret prayers to God, and yet findest no abatement 
in thy joys, I cannot but fear thy joys are either carnal or 
diabolical. Besides, grace is never apparent and sensible 
to the soul, but while it is in action ; therefore want of 
action must cause want of assurance. And the action of 
the soul upon such excellent objects, naturally bringeth 
consolation with it. The very act of loving God in Christ 
is inexpressibly sweet. The soul that is best furnished 
with grace, when it is not in action, is like a lute well 
stringed and tuned, which while it lieth still, maketh no 
more music than a common piece of wood ; but when it 
is handled by a skilful musician, the melody is delightful. 
Some degree of comfort follows every good action, as heat 
accompanies fire, and as beams and influence issue from 
the sun. A man that is cold, should labor till heat be 
excited ; so he that wants assurance must not stand still, 
but exercise his graces, till his doubts vanish. The want 
of consolation in the soul is also very commonly owing to 
bodily melancholy. It is no more wonder for a conscien- 
tious man, under melancholy, to doubt, and fear, and 
despair, than for a sick man to groan, or a child to cry- 
when it is chastised. Without the physician in this case, 
the labors of the divine are usually in vain. You may 
silence, but you cannot comfort them. You may make 
them confess they have some grace, and yet cannot bring 
them to the comfortable conclusion. All the good thoughts 
of their state which you can possibly help them to, are 
seldom above a day or two old. They cry out of sin, and 



195 

the wrath of God, when the chief cause is in their bodily 
distemper. 

10. (3.) As for motives to persuade to the duty of 
self-examination, I entreat you to consider the following : 
— To be deceived about your title to heaven is very easy. 
Many are now in hell, that never suspected any falsehood 
in their hearts, that excelled in worldly wisdom, that lived 
in the clear light of the gospel, and even preached against 
the negligence of others. To be mistaken in this great 
point is also very common. It is the case of most in the 
world. In the old world, and in Sodom, we find none 
that were in any fear of judgment. Almost all men 
among us verily look to be saved; yet Christ tells us, 
" there be few that find the strait gate, and narrow way, 
which leadeth unto life." And if such multitudes are 
deceived, should we not search the more diligently, lest 
we should be deceived as well as they 1 — Nothing is more 
dangerous than to be thus mistaken. If the godly judge 
their state worse than it is, the consequences of this 
mistake will be sorrowful ; but the mischief flowing from 
the mistake of the ungodly is unspeakable. It will 
exceedingly confirm them in the service of Satan. It 
will render ineffectual the means that should do them 
good. It will keep a man from compassionating his own 
soul. It is a case of the greatest moment, where ever- 
lasting salvation or damnation is to be determined : and 
if you mistake till death, you are undone for ever. 
Seeing then the danger is so great, what wise man 
would not follow the search of his heart both day and 
night, till he were assured of his safety 1 Consider how 
small the labor of this duty is in comparison of that 
sorrow which followeth its neglect. You can endure to 
toil and sweat from year to year, to prevent poverty, and 
why not spend a little time in self-examination, to prevent 



196 

eternal misery 1 By neglecting this duty, you can scarce 
do Satan a greater pleasure, nor yourselves a greater 
injury. It is the grand design of the devil, in all his 
temptations, to deceive you, and keep you ignorant of 
your danger, till you feel the everlasting flames; and 
will you join with him to deceive yourself? If you do 
this for him, you do the greatest part of his work. And 
hath he deserved so well of you, that you should assist 
him in such a design as your damnation ? The time is 
nigh when God will search you. If it be but in this life 
by affliction, it will make you wish that you had tried and 
judged yourselves, that you might have escaped the 
judgment of God. It was a terrible voice to Adam, 
"Where art thou? Hast thou eaten of the tree?" And 
to Cain, "Where is thy brother?" Men " consider not 
in their hearts that I," saith the Lord, " remember all 
their wickedness : now their own doings have beset them 
about; they are before my face." Consider also what 
would be the sweet effects of this self-examination. 
If thou be upright and godly, it will lead thee straight 
towards assurance of God's love ; if thou be not, though 
it will trouble thee at the present, yet it will tend to thy 
happiness, and at length lead thee to the assurance of that 
happiness. Is it not a desirable thing to know what shall 
befall us hereafter ? especially what shall befall our souls ? 
and what place and state we must be in for ever ? And 
as the very knowledge itself is desirable, how much 
greater will the comfort be of that certainty of salvation ? 
What sweet thoughts wilt thou have of God ? All that 
greatness and justice, which is the terror of others, will 
be thy joy. How sweet may be thy thoughts of Christ, 
and the blood he hath shed, and the benefits he hath 
procured ! How welcome will the word of God be to 
thee, and how beautiful the very feet of those that bring 



197 

It I How sweet will be the promises when thou art sure 
they are thine own ! The very threatenings will occasion 
thy comfort, to remember that thou hast escaped them. 
What boldness and comfort mayest thou then have in 
prayer, when thou canst say, " Our Father," in full assur- 
ance ! It will make the Lord's supper a refreshing feast 
to thy soul. It will multiply the sweetness of every com- 
mon mercy. How comfortably mayest thou then undergo 
all afflictions ! How will it sweeten thy forethoughts of 
death and judgment, of heaven and hell ! How lively will 
it make thee in the work of the Lord, and how profitable 
to all around thee ! What vigor will it infuse into all thy 
graces and affections, kindle thy repentance, inflame thy 
love, quicken thy desires, and confirm thy faith, be a 
fountain of continual rejoicing, overflow thy heart with 
thankfulness, raise thee high in the delightful work of 
praise, help thee to be heavenly-minded, and render thee 
persevering in all ! All these sweet effects of assurance 
would make thy life a heaven upon earth. 

11. Though I am certain these motives have weight of 
reason in them, yet I am jealous, Reader, lest you lay 
aside the book, as if you had done, and never set yourself 
to the practice of the duty. The case in hand is of the 
greatest moment, whether thou shalt everlastingly live in 
heaven or hell. I here request thee, in behalf of thy soul ; 
nay, I charge thee, in the name of the Lord, that thou 
defer no longer, but take thy heart to task in good earnest, 
and think with thyself, " Is it so easy, so common, and so 
dangerous to be mistaken ? Are there so many wrong 
ways 1 Is the heart so deceitful ? Why then do I not 
search into every corner, till I know my state 1 Must I 
so shortly undergo the trial at the bar of Christ ? And do 
I not presently try myself? What a case were I in, if I 
should then miscarry ? May I know by a little diligent 
18 



mm 

193 

inquiry now ; and do I stick at the labor ? " But perhaps 
thou wilt say, " I know not how to do it." In that I am 
now to give thee directions ; but. alas ! it will be in vain. 
if thou art not resolved to practise them. Wilt thou, 
therefore, before thou goest any further, here promise 
before the Lord, to set thyself upon the speedy perform- 
ance of the duty, according to the directions I shall lay 
down from the word of God. I demand nothing unrea- 
sonable or impossible. It is but to bestow a few hours, to 
know what shall become of thee for ever. If a neighbor, 
or a friend, desire but an hour's time of thee in conversa- 
tion, or business, or any thing in which thou mayest be of 
service, surely thou wouldst not deny it ; how much less 
shouldst thou deny this to thyself in so great an affair ! 
I pray thee to take from me this request, as if, in the name 
of Christ, I presented it to thee on my knees : and I will 
betake me on my knees to Christ again, to beg that he 
will persuade thy heart to the duty. 

12. (4.) The directions how to examine thyself are 
such as these : — Empty thy mind of all other cares and 
thoughts, that they may not distract or divide thy mind. 
This work will be enough at once, without joining others 
with it. Then fall down before God in hearty prayer, 
desiring the assistance of his Spirit, to discover to thee the 
plain truth of thy condition, and to enlighten thee in the 
whole progress of this work. Make choice of the most 
convenient time and place. Let the place be the most 
private : and the time, when you have nothing to interrupt 
you ; and if possible, let it be the present time. Have in 
readiness, either in memory or writing, some Scriptures, 
containing the descriptions of the saints, and the gospel 
terms of salvation : and convince thyself thoroughly of 
their infallible truth. Proceed then to put the question to 
thyself. Let it not be, whether there be any good in thee 



199 

at all ? nor, whether thou hast such or such a degree and 
measure of grace ? but whether such or such a saving 
grace be in thee in sincerity or not ? If thy heart draw 
back from the work, force it on. Lay thy command upon 
it. Let reason interpose, and use its authority. Yea, lay 
the command of God upon it, and charge it to obey, upon 
the pain of his displeasure. Let conscience also do its 
office, till thy heart be excited to the work. — Nor let thy 
heart trifle away the time, when it should be diligently at 
the work. Do as the Psalmist — " My spirit made diligent 
search." He that can prevail with his own heart, shall 
also prevail with God. — If, after all thy pains, thou art not 
resolved, then seek out for help. Go to one that is godly, 
experienced, able, and faithful, and tell him thy case, and 
desire his best advice. Use the judgment of such a one, 
as that of a physician for thy body : though this can afford 
thee no full certainty, yet it may be a great help to stay 
and direct thee. But do not make it a pretence to put off 
thy own self-examination. Only use it as one of the last 
remedies, when thy own endeavors will not serve. When 
thou hast discovered thy true state, pass sentence on thy- 
self accordingly ; either that thou art a true Christian, or 
that thou art not. Pass not this sentence rashly, nor with 
self-flattery, nor with melancholy terrors ; but deliberately, 
truly, and according to thy conscience, convinced by 
Scripture and reason. Labor to get thy heart affected 
with its condition, according to the sentence passed on it. 
If graceless, think of thy misery : if renewed and sanc- 
tified, think what a blessed state the Lord hath brought 
thee into. Pursue these thoughts till they have left their 
impression on thy heart. Write this sentence at least in 
thy memory— " At such a time, upon thorough examina- 
tion, I found my state to be thus, or thus." Such a record 
will be very useful to thee hereafter. Trust not to this 



200 

one discovery, so as to try no more ; nor let it hinder thee' 
in the daily search of thy ways : neither be discouraged^ 
if the trial must be often repeated. Especially take heed,, 
if unregenerate, not to conclude of thy future state by the 
present. Do not say, " Because I am ungodly, I shall die 
so ; because I am a hypocrite, I shall continue so." Do 
not despair. Nothing but thy unwillingness can keep 
thee from Christ, though thou hast hitherto abused him, 
and dissembled with him. 

13. (5.) Now let me add some marks by which you 
may try your title to the saints' rest. I will only mention 
these two, — taking God for thy chief good — and heartily 
accepting Christ for thy only Saviour and Lord. 

14. Every soul that hath a title to this rest, doth place 
his chief happiness in God. This rest consisteth in the 
full and glorious enjoyment of God. He that maketh not 
God his chief good and ultimate end, is in heart a pagan 
and a vile idolater. Let me ask then, dost thou truly 
account it thy chief happiness to enjoy the Lord in glory , 
or dost thou not? Canst thou say, "The Lord is my 
portion ? Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there 
is none upon earth that I desire besides thee 1 " If thou 
be an heir of rest, it is thus with thee. Though the flesh 
will be pleading for its own delights, and the world will be 
creeping into thine affections ; yet in thy ordinary, settled, 
prevailing judgment and affections, thou preferrest God 
before all things in the world. — Thou makest him the 
very end of thy desires and endeavors. The very reason 
why thou hearest and prayest, and desirest to live on earth, 
is chiefly this, That thou mayest seek the Lord, and make 
sure of thy rest. Though thou dost not seek it so zeal- 
ously as thou shouldst ; yet it has the chief of thy desires 
and endeavors, so that nothing else is desired or preferred 
before it. Thou wilt think no labor or suffering too great 



201 

to obtain it. And though the flesh may sometimes shrink, 
yet thou art resolved and contented to go through all. 
Thy esteem for it will also be so high, and thy affection 
to it so great, that thou wouldst not exchange thy title to 
it, and hopes of it, for any worldly good whatsoever. If 
God should set before thee an eternity of earthly pleasures 
on one hand, and the saints' rest on the other, and bid 
thee take thy choice ; thou wouldst refuse the world, and 
choose this rest. But if thou art yet unsanctified, then 
thou dost in thy heart prefer thy worldly happiness before 
God ; and though thy tongue may say, that God is thy 
chief good, yet thy heart doth not so esteem him. For 
the world is the chief end of thy desires and endeavors. 
Thy very heart is set upon it. Thy greatest care and 
labor is to maintain thy credit, or fleshly delights. But 
the life to come hath little of thy care or labor. Thou 
didst never perceive so much excellency in that unseen 
glory of another world, as to draw thy heart after it, and 
set thee a laboring heartily for it. The little pains thou 
bestowest that way, is but in the second place. God hath 
but the world's leavings ; only that time and labor which 
thou canst spare from the world, or those few, cold, and 
careless thoughts which follow thy constant, earnest, and 
delightful thoughts of earthly things. Neither wouldst 
thou do any thing at all for heaven, if thou knewest how 
to keep the world. But lest thou shouldst be turned into 
hell, when thou canst keep the world no longer, therefore 
thou wilt do something. For the same reason, thou 
thinkest the way of God too strict, and will not be per- 
suaded to the constant labor of walking according to the 
Gospel rule ; and when it comes to the trial, that thou 
must forsake Christ, or thy worldly happiness, then thou 
wilt venture heaven rather than earth, and so wilfully deny 
thy obedience to God. And certainly if God would but 
18* 



202 

give thee leave to live in health and wealth for ever on 
earth, thou wouldst think it a better state than rest. Let 
them seek for heaven that would, thou wouldst think this 
thy chief happiness. This is thy case, if thou art yet an 
unregenerate person, and hast no title to the saints' rest. 

15. And as thou takest God for thy chief good, so thou 
dost heartily accept of Christ for thy only Saviour and 
Lord, to bring thee to this rest. The former mark was 
the sum of the first and great command of the law, " Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." The 
second mark, is the sum of the command of the Gospel. 
" Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved." And the performance of these two is the whole 
of godliness and Christianity. This mark is but the 
definition of faith. Dost thou heartily consent that Christ 
alone shall be thy Saviour ? and no further trust to thy 
duties and works, than as means appointed in subordi- 
nation to him ? and looking at them as not in the least 
measure able to satisfy the curse of the law, or as a legal 
righteousness, or any part of it ; but consent to trust thy 
salvation on the redemption made by Christ ? Art thou 
also content to take him for thy only Lord and King, to 
govern and guide thee by his laws and Spirit ; and to 
obey him, even when he commandeth the hardest duties, 
and those which most cross the desires of the flesh ? Is 
it thy sorrow when thou breakest thy resolution herein 1 
and thy joy when thou keepest closest in obedience to 
him? Wouldst thou not change thy Lord and Master 
for all the world ? Thus is it with every true Christian. 
But if thou be a hypocrite, it is far otherwise. Thou 
mayest call Christ thy Lord and thy Saviour ; but thou 
never foundest thyself so lost without him, as to drive 
thee to seek him and trust him, and lay thy salvation on 
him alone. At least, thou didst never heartily consent 



203 

that he should govern thee as thy Lord, nor resign up thy 
soul and life to be ruled by him, nor take his word for the 
law of thy thoughts and actions. It is likely thou art 
content to be saved from hell by Christ when thou diest ; 
but in the mean time he shall command thee no further 
than will stand with thy credit, or pleasure, or other 
worldly ends. And if he would give thee leave, thou 
hadst far rather live after the world and flesh, than after 
the Word and Spirit. And though thou mayest now and 
then have a motion or purpose to the contrary ; yet this 
that I have mentioned is the ordinary desire and choice 
of thy heart. Thou art therefore no true believer in 
Christ ; for though thou confess him in words, yet in 
works thou dost deny him, " being abominable, and dis- 
obedient, and unto every good work reprobate." This is 
the case of those that shall be shut out of the saints' rest. 

16. Observe, it is the consent of your hearts, or wills, 
which I especially lay down to be inquired after. I do 
not ask, whether thou be assured of salvation, nor whether 
thou canst believe that thy sins are pardoned, and that 
thou art beloved of God in Christ ? These are no parts 
of justifying faith, but excellent fruits of it, and they that 
receive them, are comforted by them ; but, perhaps, thou 
mayest never receive them while thou livest, and yet be a 
true heir of rest. Do not say then, " I cannot believe 
that my sins are pardoned, or that I am in God's favor ; 
and therefore I am no true believer." This is a most 
mistaken conclusion. — The question is, whether thou dost 
heartily accept of Christ, that thou mayest be pardoned, 
reconciled to God, and so saved 1 Dost thou consent that 
he shall be thy Lord, who hath bought thee, and that he 
shall bring thee to heaven in his own way ? This is 
justifying, saving faith, and the mark by which thou must 
try thyself. Yet still observe, that all this consent must 



204 

be hearty and real, not feigned or with reservations. It 
is not saying, as that dissembling son, " I go, Sir ; and 
went not." If any have more of the government of thee 
than Christ, thou art not his disciple. I am sure these 
two marks are such as every Christian hath, and none but 
sincere Christians. O that the Lord would now persuade 
thee to the close performance of this self-trial! that thou 
mayest not tremble with horror of soul, when the Judge 
of all the world shall try thee ; but be so able to prove 
thy title to rest, that the prospect and approach of death 
and judgment may raise thy spirits, and fill thee with joy. 
17. On the whole, as ever Christians would have 
comforts that will not deceive them, let them make it the 
great labor of their lives to grow in grace, to strengthen 
and advance the interest of Christ in their souls, and to 
weaken and subdue the interest of the flesh. Deceive not 
yourselves with a persuasion, that Christ hath done all, 
and left you nothing to do. To overcome the world, the 
flesh, and the devil : and in order to that, to stand always 
armed upon our watch, and valiantly and patiently to fight 
it out, is of great importance to our assurance and 
salvation. Indeed it is so great a part of our baptismal 
vow, that he who performeth it not, is no more than a 
nominal Christian. Not to every one that presumptuously 
believeth, but " to him that overcometh, will Christ give 
to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white 
stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no 
man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it ; he shall eat of 
the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of 
God, and shall not be hurt of the second death. Christ 
will confess his name before his Father, and before his 
angels, and make him a pillar in the temple of God, and 
he shall go no more out : and will write upon him the 
name of his God, and the name of the city of his God, 



205 

which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of 
heaven from his God, and will write upon him his new 
name." Yea, " He will grant to him to sit with him on 
his throne, even as he also overcame, and is sit down with 
his Father on his throne. He that hath an ear, let him 
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches," 



206 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Duty of the People of God to excite others to 
seek this Rest. 

Sect. 1. The Author laments that Christians do so little to help 
others to obtain the saints' rest : 2. (I.) Shows the nature of this 
duty : particularly, 3. (1.) In haying our hearts affected with the 
misery of our brethren's souls ; 4 — 6. (2.) In taking all opportu- 
nities to instruct them in the way of salvation ; 7. (3.) In 
promoting their profit by public ordinances : 8. (II.) Assigns 
various reasons why this duty is so much neglected, 9. And 
answers some objections against it : 10 — 13. Then, (III.) Urges 
to the discharge of it, by several considerations, 14. Addressed to 
such as have knowledge, learning/and utterance; 15. Those that 
are acquainted with sinners ; 16. Physicians that attend dying 
men ; 17. Persons of wealth and power ; 18. Ministers ; 19. And 
those that are intrusted with the care of children or servants. 
20. The chapter concludes with an earnest request to Christian 
parents to be faithful to their trust. 

1. Hath God set before us such a glorious prize as the 
saints' rest, and made us capable of such inconceivable 
happiness? Why then do not all the children of this 
kingdom exert themselves more to help others to the 
enjoyment of it ? Alas, how little are poor souls about us 
beholden to most of us ! We see the glory of the king- 
dom, and they do not : we see the misery of those that are 
out of it, and they do not : we see some wandering quite 
out of the way, and know, if they hold on, they can never 
come there ; and they themselves discern it not. And 
yet we will not seriously show them their danger and 
error, and help to bring them into the way, that they may 



207 

live. Alas, how few Christians are there to be found, 
that set themselves with all their might to save souls ! 
No thanks to us, if heaven be not empty, and if the souls 
of our brethren perish not for ever. Considering how 
important this duty is, to the glory of God, and the 
happiness of men, I will show — how it is to be per- 
formed — why it is so much neglected— and then offer 
some considerations to persuade to it. 

2. (I.) The duty of exciting and helping others to 
discern their title to the saints' rest, doth not mean that 
every man should turn a public preacher, or that any 
should go beyond the bounds of their particular callings ; 
much less does it consist in promoting a party spirit ; and, 
least of all, in speaking against men's faults behind their 
backs, and be silent before their faces. This duty is of 
another nature, and consists of the following things — 
in having our hearts affected with the misery of our 
brethren's souls, in taking all opportunities to instruct 
them in the way of salvation — and in promoting their 
profit by public ordinances. 

3. (1.) Our hearts must be affected with the misery of 
our brethren's souls. We must be compassionate towards 
them, and yearn after their recovery and salvation. If 
we earnestly longed after their conversion, and our hearts 
were solicitous to do them good, it would set us on work, 
and God would usually bless it. 

4. (2.) We must take every opportunity that we possibly 
can, to instruct them how to attain salvation. If the 
person be ignorant, labor to make him understand the 
chief happiness of man ; how far he was once possessed 
of it; the covenant God then made with him; how he 
broke it ; what penalty he incurred ; and what misery he 
brought himself into : teach him his need of a Redeemer ; 
how Christ did mercifully interpose, and bear the penalty ; 



208 

what the new covenant is ; how men are drawn to Christ ; 
and what are the riches and privileges which believers 
have in him. If he is not moved by these things, then 
show him the excellency of the glory he neglects ; the 
extremity and eternity of the torments of the damned ; 
the justice of enduring them for wilfully refusing grace ; 
the certainty, nearness, and terrors of death and judgment ; 
the vanity of all things below ; the sinfulness of sin ; the 
preciousness of Christ ; the necessity of regeneration, faith, 
and holiness, and the true nature of them. If, after all, 
you find him entertaining false hopes, then urge him to 
examine his state ; show him the necessity of doing so ; 
help him in it ; nor leave him till you have convinced him 
of his misery and remedy. Show him how vain and de- 
structive it is to join Christ and his duties, to compose his 
justifying righteousness. Yet be sure to draw him to the 
use of all means : such as hearing and reading the word, 
calling upon God, and associating with the godly : per- 
suade him to forsake sin, avoid all temptations to sin, 
especially evil companions, and to wait patiently on God 
in the use of means, as the way in which God will be 
found. 

5. But because the manner of performing this work is 
of great moment, observe therefore, these rules. — Enter 
upon it with right intentions. Aim at the glory of God 
in the person's salvation. Do it not to get a name, or 
esteem to thyself, or to bring men to depend upon thee, 
or to get thee followers; but in obedience to Christ/ in 
imitation of him, and tender love to men's souls. Do not 
as those, who labor to reform their children or servants 
from such things as are against their own profit or humor, 
but never seek to save their souls in the way which God 
hath appointed. Do it speedily. As you would not have 
them delay their return, do not you delay to seek their 



209 

return. While you are purposing to teach and help him, 
the man goes deeper in debt ; wrath is heaping up ; sin 
is taking root ; custom fastens him ; temptations to sin 
multiply ; conscience grows seared ; the heart hardened ; 
the devil rules ; Christ is shut out ; the Spirit is resisted ; 
God is daily dishonored ; his law violated ; he is without 
a servant, and that service from him which He should 
have ; time runs on ; death and judgment are at the door ; 
and what if the man die, and drop into hell, while you 
are proposing to prevent it 1 If in the case of his bodily 
distress, you must not say to him, " Go, and come again, 
and to-morrow I will give,^when thou hast it by thee ; " 
how much less may you delay the succor of his soul 1 
That physician is no better than a murderer, who neg- 
ligently delayeth till his patient is dead or past cure. Lay 
by excuses then, and all lesser business, and " exhort one 
another daily, while it is called to-day; lest any be 
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Let your 
exhortation proceed from compassion and love. To jeer 
and scoff, to rail and vilify, is not a likely way to reform 
men, or convert them to God. — Go to poor sinners with 
tears in your eyes, that they may see you believe them to 
be miserable, and that you unfeignedly pity their case. 
Deal with them with earnest humble entreaties. Let 
them perceive, it is the desire of your hearts to do them 
good ; that you have no other end but their everlasting 
happiness ; and that it is your sense of their danger, and 
your love to their souls that forceth you to speak ; even 
because you know the terrors of the Lord, and for fear 
you should see them in eternal torments. Say to them, 
" Friend, you know I seek no advantage of my own : the 
method to please you, and keep your friendship, were to 
soothe you in your way, or let you alone ; but love will 
not suffer me to see you perish, and be silent. I seek 
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210 

nothing at your hands, but that which is necessary to 
your own happiness. It is yourself that will have the 
gain and comfort, if you come to Christ." If we were 
thus to go to every ignorant and wicked neighbor, what 
blessed fruit should we quickly see ! — Do it with all 
possible plainness and faithfulness. Do not make their 
sins less than they are, nor encourage them in a false 
hope. If you see the case dangerous, speak plainly — 
" Neighbor, I am afraid God hath not yet renewed your 
soul ; I doubt you are not yet recovered from the power of 
Satan to God ; I doubt you have not chosen Christ above 
all, nor unfeignedly taken him for your sovereign Lord. 
If you had, surely you durst not so easily disobey him, nor 
neglect his worship in your family, and in public; you 
could not so eagerly follow the world, and talk of nothing 
but the things of the world. If you were in Christ, you 
would be a new creature : old things would be passed 
away, and all things would become new. You would 
have new thoughts, new talk, new company, new en- 
deavors, and a new conversation. Certainly, without 
these you can never be saved : you may think otherwise, 
and hope otherwise, as long as you will, but your hopes 
will all deceive you, and perish with you." Thus must 
you deal faithfully with men, if ever you intend to do 
them good. It is not in curing men's souls, as in curing 
their bodies, where they must not know their danger, lest 
it hinder the cure. They are here agents in their own 
cure ; and if they know not their misery, they will never 
bewail it, nor know their need of a Saviour. Do it also 
seriously, zealously, and effectually. Labor to make men 
know that heaven and hell are not matters to be played 
with, or passed over with a few careless thoughts — " It is 
most certain, that one of these days thou shalt be in 
everlasting joy or torment ; and doth it not awaken thee 1 



211 

Are there so few that find the way of life ? So many that 
go the way of death ? Is it so hard to escape 1 so easy to 
miscarry 1 and yet do you sit still and trifle ? What do 
you mean 1 The world is passing away : its pleasures, 
honors, and profits, are fading and leaving you : eternity 
is a little before you : God is just and jealous : his 
threatenings are true : the great day will be terrible : time 
runs on : your life is uncertain : you are far behindhand : 
your case is dangerous : if you die to-morrow, how 
unready are you ! With what terror will your souls go 
out of your bodies! And do you yet loiter? Consider, 
God is all this while waiting your leisure : his patience 
beareth ; his long-suffering forbeareth : his mercy en- 
treateth you : Christ offereth you his blood and merits : 
the Spirit is persuading: conscience is accusing: Satan 
waits to have you. This is your time, now or never. 
Had you rather burn in hell, than repent on earth ? have 
devils your tormentors, than Christ your governor ? Will 
you renounce your part in God and glory, rather than 
renounce your sins 1 O friends, what do you think of 
these things ? God hath made you men ; do not renounce 
your reason where you should chiefly use it." Alas ! it is 
not a few dull words between jest and earnest, between 
sleep and awake, that will rouse a dead-hearted sinner. 
If a house be on fire, you will not make a cold oration on 
the nature and danger of fire, but will run and cry, Fire ! 
fire ! To tell a man of his sins as soft as Eli did his sons ; 
or to reprove him as gently as Jehoshaphat did Ahab, 
"Let not the king say so:" usually doth as much harm 
as good. Loathness to displease men, makes us undo 
them. 

6. Yet, lest you run into extremes, I advise you to do 
it with prudence and discretion. — Choose the fittest 
season. Deal not with men when they are in a passion, 



212 

or where they will take it for a disgrace. When the 
earth is soft, the plough will enter. Take a man when 
he is under affliction, or newly impressed under a sermon, 
Christian faithfulness requires us, not only to do good 
when it falls in our way, but to watch for opportunities, 
Suit yourselves also to the quality and temper of the 
person. You must deal with the ingenious more by 
argument than persuasion. There is need of both to the 
ignorant. The affections of the convinced should be 
chiefly excited. The obstinate must be sharply reproved. 
The timorous must be dealt with tenderly. Love and 
plainness, and seriousness, take with all; but words of 
terror some can scarce bear. Use also the aptest expres- 
sions. Unseeming language makes the hearers loathe 
the food they should live by ; especially if they be men of 
curious ears, and carnal hearts. — Let all your reproofs 
and exhortations be backed with the authority of God, 
Let sinners be convinced that you speak not of j r our own 
head. Turn them to the very chapter and verse where 
their sin is condemned, and their duty commanded. The 
voice of man is contemptible, but the voice of God is 
awful and terrible. They may reject your words, that 
dare not reject the words of the Almighty. — Be frequent 
with men in this duty of exhortation. If we are always 
to pray, and not to faint, because God will have us im- 
portunate with himself ; the same course, no doubt, will 
be most prevailing with men. Therefore we are com- 
manded " to exhort one another daily ; " and " with all- 
long-suffering." The fire is not always brought out of 
the flint at one stroke ; nor men's affections kindled at 
the first exhortation. And if they were, yet if they be not 
followed, they will soon grow cold again. Follow sinners 
with your loving and earnest entreaties, and give them no- 
rest in their sin. This is- true charity, the way to save 



213 

men's souls, and will afford you comfort upon review. — 
Strive to bring all your exhortations to an issue. If we 
speak the most convincing words, and all our care is over 
with our speech, we shall seldom prosper in our labors ; 
but God usually blesses their labors, whose very heart is 
set upon the conversion of their hearers, and who are 
therefore inquiring after the success of their work. If 
you reprove a sin, cease not till the sinner promises you 
to leave it, and avoid the occasion of it. If you are 
exhorting to a duty, urge for a promise to set upon it 
presently. If you would draw~ men to Christ, leave not 
till you have made them confess the misery of their 
present unregenerate state, and the necessity of Christ, 
and of a change, and have promised you to fall close to 
the use of means. O that all Christians would take this 
course with their neighbors that are enslaved to sin, and 
strangers to Christ ! — Once more, be sure your example 
exhort as well as your words. Let them see you constant 
in all the duties you persuade them to. Let them see 
in your lives that superiority to the world which your lips 
recommend. Let them see, by your constant labors for 
heaven, that you indeed believe what you would have 
them believe. A holy and heavenly life is a continual 
pain to the consciences of sinners around you, and con- 
tinually solicits them to change their course. 

7. (3.) Besides the duty of private admonition, you 
must endeavor to help men to profit by the public ordi- 
nances. In order to that — endeavor to procure for them 
faithful ministers, where they are wanting. " How shall 
they hear without a preacher?" Improve your interest 
and diligence to this end, till you prevail. Extend your 
purses to the utmost. How many souls may be saved 
by the ministry you have procured ! It is a higher 
and nobler charity, than relieving their bodies. What 
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214 

abundance of good might great men do, if they would 
support, in academical education, such youth as they 
have first carefully chosen for their integrity and piety. 
till they should be fit for the ministry ! And when a 
faithful ministry is obtained, help poor souls to receive the 
fruit of it. Draw them constantly to attend it. Remind 
them often what they have heard : and, if it be possible, 
let them hear it repeated in their families, or elsewhere. 
Promote their frequent meeting together, besides publicly 
in the congregation : not as a separate church, but as c. 
part of the church, more diligent than the rest in 
redeeming time, and helping the souls of each other 
heaven-ward. Labor also to keep the ordinances and 
ministry in esteem, No man will be much wrought on 
by that which he despiseth. An apostle says, " "We 
beseech you, brethren, to know them who labor among 
you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you : 
and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's 
sake.*'' 

8. (11.) Let us now a little inquire, what may be the 
causes of the gross neglect of this duty : that the hinder- 
ances being discovered, may the more easily be overcome. 
— One hinderance is, men's own sin and guilt. They 
have not themselves been ravished with heavenly delights : 
how then should they draw others so earnestly to seek 
them ? They have not. felt their own lost condition, nor 
their need of Christ, nor the renewing work of the Spirit : 
how then can they discover these to others 1 They are 
guilty of the sins they should reprove, and this makes 
them ashamed to reprove. — Another is, a secret infidelity 
prevailing in men's hearts. Did we verily believe, that 
all the unregenerate and unholy should be eternally tor- 
mented, how could we hold our tongues, or avoid bursting 
into tears, when we look them in the face, especially when 



215 

they are our near and dear friends ? Thus doth secret 
unbelief consume the vigor of each grace and duty. O 
Christians, if you did verily believe that your ungodly 
neighbors, wife, husband, or child, should certainly lie 
for ever in hell, except they be thoroughly changed before 
death shall snatch them away, would not this make you 
address them day and night till they were persuaded 1 
Were it not for this cursed unbelief, our own and our 
neighbors' souls would gain more by us than they do. — 
These attempts are also much hindered by our want of 
charity and compassion for men's souls. We look on 
miserable souls, and pass by, as the Priest and Levite by 
the wounded man. What though the sinner, wounded 
by sin, and captivated by Satan, do not desire thy help 
himself; yet his misery cries aloud. If God had not heard 
the cry of our miseries, before he heard the cry of our 
prayers, and be moved by his own pity before he was 
moved by our importunity, we might long have continued 
the slaves of Satan. You will pray to God for them to 
open their eyes, and turn their hearts ; and why not en- 
deavor their conversion, if you desire it ? And if you do 
not desire it, why do you ask it ? Why do you not pray 
them to consider and return, as well as pray to God to 
convert and turn them ? If you should see your neighbor 
fallen into a pit, and should pray to God to help him out, 
but neither put forth your hand to help him. nor once 
direct him to help himself, would not any man censure 
you for your cruelty and hypocrisy ? It is as true of the 
soul as of the body. If any man " seeth his brother have 
need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, 
how dwelleth the love of God in him?" Or what love 
hath he to his brother's soul? — We are also hindered by 
a base, man-pleasing disposition. We are so desirous to 
keep in credit and favor with men, that it makes us most 



unconscionably neglect our own duty. He is a foolish and 
unfaithful physician that will let a sick man die for fear of 
troubling him. Tf our friends are distracted, we please 
them in nothing that tends to their hurt. And yet when 
they are beside themselves in point of salvation, and in 
their madness posting on to damnation, we will not stop 
them, for fear of displeasing them. How can we be 
Christians, that " love the praise of men more than the 
praise of God?" For, if we " seek to please men, we 
shall not be the servants of Christ." — It is common to be 
hindered by sinful bashfulness. When we should shame 
men out of their sins, we are ourselves ashamed of our 
duties. May not these sinners condemn us, when they 
blush not to swear, be drunk, or neglect the worship of 
God ; and we blush to tell them of it, and persuade them 
from it? Bashfulness is unseemly in cases of necessity. 
It is not a work to be ashamed of, to obey God in per- 
suading men from their sins to Christ. Reader, hath not 
thy conscience told thee of thy duty many a time, and put 
thee on to speak to poor sinners ; and yet thou hast been 
ashamed to open thy mouth, and so let them alone to sink 
or swim ? O read and tremble, " Whosoever shall be 
ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and 
sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be 
ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with 
the holy angels." An idle and impatient spirit hindereth 
us. It is an ungrateful work, and sometimes makes men 
our enemies. Besides, it seldom succeeds at the first, 
except it be followed on. You must be long teaching the 
ignorant, and persuading the obstinate. We consider not 
what patience God used towards us when we were in our 
sins. Wo to us if God had been as impatient with us as 
we are with others. — Another hinderance is, self-seeking. 
" All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus 



217 

Christ's and their brethren's. — With many, pride is a great 
impediment. If it were to speak to a great man, and it 
would not displease him, they would do it; but to go 
among the poor, and take pains with them in their cot- 
tages, where is the person that will do it? Many will 
rejoice in being instrumental in converting a gentleman, 
and they have good reason ; but overlook the multitude, 
as if the souls of all were not alike to God. Alas, these 
men little consider how low Christ stooped to us ! Few 
rich and noble, and wise are called. It is the poor that 
receive the glad tidings of the gospel. — And with some, 
their ignorance of the duty hindereth them from perform- 
ing it. Either they know it not to be a duty, or at least 
not to be their duty. If this be thy case, Reader, I am 
in hope thou art now acquainted with thy duty, and will 
set upon it. 

9. Do not object to this duty, that you are unable to 
manage an exhortation ; but either set those on work who 
are more able, or faithfully and humbly use the small 
ability you have, and tell them as a weak man may do, 
what God says in his word. — Decline not the duty, be- 
cause it is your superior who needs advice and exhortation. 
Order must be dispensed with, in cases of necessity. 
Though it be a husband, a parent, a minister, you must 
teach him in such a case. If parents are in want, chil- 
dren must relieve them. If a husband be sick, the wife 
must fill up his place in family affairs. If the rich are 
reduced to beggary, they must receive charity. If the 
physician be sick, somebody must look to him. So the 
meanest servant must admonish his master, and the child 
his parent, and the wife her husband, and the people their 
minister ; so that it be done when there is real need, and 
with all possible humility, modesty, and meekness. — Do 
not say, " This will make us all preachers ; " for every 



218 

good Christian is a teacher, and has a charge of his neigh- 
bor's soul. Every man is a physician, when a regular 
physician cannot be had, and when the hurt is so small 
that any man may relieve it ; and in the same cases every 
man must be a teacher. — Do not despair of success. 
Cannot God give it 1 And must it not be by means ? — 
Do not plead ; it will only be casting pearls before swine. 
When you are in danger to be torn in pieces, Christ 
would have you forbear ; but what is that to you that are 
in no such danger ? As long as they will hear, you have 
encouragement to speak, and may not cast them off as 
contemptible swine. — Say not, " It is a friend on whom I 
much depend, and by telling him his sin and misery, I 
may lose his love, and be undone." Is his love more to be 
valued than his safety 1 or thy own benefit by him, than 
the salvation of his soul ? or wilt thou connive at his 
damnation, because he is thy friend 1 Is that thy best 
requital of his friendship ? Hadst thou rather he should 
burn in hell for ever, than thou shouldst lose his favor, or 
the maintenance thou hast from him ? 

10. (III.) But that all who fear God may be excited to 
do their utmost to help others to this blessed rest, let me 
entreat you to consider the following motives. As, for 
instance, not only nature, but especially grace, disposes 
the soul to be communicative of good. Therefore, to 
neglect this work is a sin both against nature and grace. 
Would you not think him unnatural that would suffer his 
children or neighbors to starve in the streets, while he 
has provision at hand ? And is not he more unnatural, 
that will let them eternally perish, and not open his mouth 
to save them ? An unmerciful, cruel man, is a monster 
to be abhorred of all. If God had bid you give them all 
your estates, or lay down your lives to save them, you 
would surely have refused, when you will not bestow a 



219 

little breath to save them. Is not the soul of a husband, 
or wife, or child, or neighbor, worth a few words? 
Cruelty to men's bodies is a most damnable sin ; but to 
their souls much more, as the soul is of greater worth 
than the body, and eternity than time. Little know you 
what many a soul may now be feeling in hell, who died 
in their sins, for want of your faithful admonition. — 
Consider what Christ did towards the saving of souls. 
He thought them worth his blood ; and shall we not think 
them worth our breath ? Will you not do a little where 
Christ hath done so much ? — Consider what fit objects of 
pity ungodly people are. They are dead in trespasses 
and sins, have not hearts to feel their miseries, nor to pity 
themselves. If others do not pity them, they will have no 
pity ; for it is the nature of their disease to make them 
pitiless to themselves, yea, their own most cruel de- 
stroyers.— Consider it was once thy own case. It was 
God's argument to the Israelites, to be kind to strangers, 
because themselves had been " strangers in the land of 
Egypt." So should you pity them that are strangers to 
Christ, and to the hopes and comforts of the saints, 
because you were once strangers to them yourselves. 
Consider your relation to them. It is thy neighbor, thy 
brother, whom thou art bound to love as thyself. " He 
that loveth not his brother whom he seeth daily, doth not 
love God whom he never saw." And doth he love his 
brother that will see him go to hell, and never hinder 
him? 

11. Consider what a load of guilt this neglect lays 
upon thy own soul. Thou art guilty of the murder and 
damnation of all those souls whom thou dost thus neglect ; 
and of every sin they now commit, and of all the dishonor 
done to God thereby ; and of all those judgments which 
their sins bring upon the town or country where they 



220 

live. — Consider what it will be, to look upon your poor 
friends in eternal flames, and to think that your neglect 
was a great cause of it. If you should there perish with 
them, it would be no small aggravation of your torment. 
If you be in heaven, it would surely be a sad thought, 
were it possible that any sorrow could dwell there, to hear 
a multitude of poor souls cry out for ever, " O, if you 
would but have told me plainly of my sin and danger, and 
set it home, I might have escaped all this torment, and 
been now in rest ! :; "What a sad voice will this be ! — 
Consider what a joy it will be in heaven, to meet those 
there, whom you have been the means to bring thither. 
To see their faces, and join with them for ever in the 
praises of God, whom you were the happy instruments 
of bringing to the knowledge and obedience of Jesus 
Christ ! — Consider how many souls you may have drawn 
into the way of damnation, or hardened in it. We have 
had, in the days of our ignorance, our companions in sin. 
whom we incited, or encouraged. And doth it not be- 
come us to do as much to save men, as we have done to 
destroy them ? — Consider how diligent are all the enemies 
of these poor souls to draw them to hell. The devil is 
tempting them day and night : their inward lusts are still 
working for their ruin : the flesh is still pleading for its 
delights : their old companious are increasing their dislike 
of holiness. And if nobody be diligent in helping them 
to heaven, what is like to become of them ? 

12. Consider how deep the neglect of this duty will 
wound when conscience is awakened. When a man 
comes to die, conscience will ask him, " What good hast 
thou done in thy lifetime ? The saving of souls is the 
greatest good work ; what hast thou done towards it ? 
How many hast thou dealt faithfully with?" I have often 
observed that the consciences' of dying men very much 



221 

wounded them for this omission. For my own part, when 
I have been near death, my conscience hath accused me 
more for this than for any sin. It would bring every 
ignorant profane neighbor to my remembrance, to whom 
I never made known their danger. It would tell me, 
" thou shouidst have gone to them in private, and told 
them plainly of their desperate danger, though it had been 
when thou shouidst have eaten or slept, if thou hadst no 
other time." Conscience would remind me how at such 
or such a time I was in company with the ignorant, or 
was riding by the way with a wilful sinner, and had a fit 
opportunity to have dealt with him, but did not ; or at 
least did it to little purpose. The Lord grant I may better 
obey conscience while I have time, that it may have less 
to accuse me of at death ! — Consider what a seasonable 
time you now have for this work. There are times in 
which it is not safe to speak ; it may cost you your liberties 
or your lives. Besides, your neighbors will shortly die, 
and so will you. Speak to them, therefore, while you 
may. — Consider, though this is a work of the greatest 
charity, yet every one of you may perform it. The poorest 
as well as the rich. Every one hath a tongue to speak to 
a sinner. — Once more, consider the happy consequences 
of this work where it is faithfully done. You may be 
instrumental in saving souls, for which Christ came down 
and died, and in which the angels of God rejoice. Such 
souls will bless you here and hereafter. God will have 
much glory by it. The church will be multiplied, and 
edified by it. Your own souls will enjoy more improve- 
ment and vigor in a divine life, more peace of conscience, 
more rejoicing in spirit. Of all the personal mercies that 
I ever received, next to the love of God in Christ to my 
own soul, I must most joyfully bless him for the plentiful 
success of my endeavors upon others. O what fruits then 
20 



222 

might I have seen, if I had been more faithful ! I know 
we need be very jealous of our deceitful hearts in this 
point, lest our rejoicing should come from our pride. 
Naturally we would have the praise of every good work 
ascribed to ourselves : yet to imitate our Father in goodness 
and mercy, and to rejoice in the degree of them we attain 
to, is the duty of every child of God. I therefore tell you 
my own experience, to persuade you, that if you did but 
know what a joyful thing it is, you would follow it night 
and day through the greatest discouragements. 

13. Up then, every man that hath a tongue, and is a 
servant of Christ, and do something of your Master's 
work. Why hath he given you a tongue, but to speak in 
his service ? And how can you serve him more eminently, 
than in saving souls ? He that will pronounce you blessed 
at the last day, and invite you to " the kingdom prepared 
for you," because you iC fed him, and clothed him, and 
visited him," in his poor members, will surely pronounce 
you blessed for so great a work as bringing souls to his 
kingdom. He that saith, " the poor you have always with 
you," hath left the ungodly always with you, that you 
might still have matter to exercise your charity upon. If 
you have the hearts of Christians or of men, let them 
yearn towards your ignorant, ungodly neighbors. Say as 
the lepers of Samaria, "We do not well, this day is a day 
of good tidings, and we hold our peace." Hath God had 
so much mercy on you, and will you have no mercy on 
your poor neighbors? But as this duty belongs to all 
Christians, so especially to some, according as God hath 
called them to it, or qualified them for it. To them 
therefore I will more particularly address the exhortation. 

14. God especially expects this duty at your hands to 
whom he hath given more learning and knowledge, and 
endued with better utterance, than your neighbors. The 



223 

strong are made to help the weak ; and those that see 
must direct the blind. God looketh for this faithful 
improvement of your parts and gifts, which, if you neglect, 
it were better you had never received them ; for they will 
but aggravate your condemnation, and be as useless to 
your own salvation as they were to others. 

15. All those that are particularly acquainted with 
some ungodly men, and that have peculiar interest in 
them, God looks for this duty at your hands. Christ him- 
self did eat and drink with publicans and sinners ; but it 
was only to be their physician, and not their companion. 
Who knows but God gave you interest in them to this 
end, that you might be the means of their recovery? 
They that will not regard the words of a stranger, may 
regard a brother, or sister, or husband, or wife, or near 
friend ; besides that the bond of friendship engageth you 
to more kindness and compassion than ordinary. 

16. Physicians that are much about dying men, should 
in a special manner make conscience of this duty. It is 
their peculiar advantage, that they are at hand ; that they 
are with men in sickness and dangers, when the ear is 
more open, and the heart less stubborn than in time of 
health : and that men look upon their physician as a person 
in whose hands is their life ; or at least, who may do much 
to save them ; and therefore they will the more regard his 
advice. You that are of this honorable profession, do not 
think this a work beside your calling, as if it belonged to 
none but ministers ; except you think it beside your 
calling to be compassionate, or to be Christians. O help 
therefore to fit your patients for heaven 1 And whether 
you see they are for life or death, teach them both how to 
live and die, and give them some physic for their souls, 
as you do for their bodies. Blessed be God, that very 
many of the chief physicians of this age have, by their 



224 

eminent piety, vindicated their profession from the com- 
mon imputation of atheism and profaneness. 

17. Men of wealth and authority, and that have many 
dependents, have excellent advantages for this duty. O 
what a world of good might lords and gentlemen do, if 
they had but hearts to improve their influence over others ! 
Have you not all your honor and riches from God ? Doth 
not Christ say, " unto v/homsoever much is given, of him 
much shall be required 1 " If you speak to your de- 
pendents for God and their souls, you may be regarded, 
when even a minister shall be despised. As you value 
the honor of God, your own comfort, and the salvation of 
souls, improve your influence over your tenants and 
neighbors ; visit their houses ; see whether they worship 
God in their families ; and take all opportunities to press 
them to their duty. Despise them not. Remember God 
is no respecter of persons. Let them see that you excel 
others in piety, compassion, and diligence in God's work, 
as you do in the riches and honors of the world, I con- 
fess you will by this means be singular, but then you will 
be singular in glory ; for few of the mighty and noble are 
called." 

18. As for the ministers of the gospel, it is the very 
work of their calling, to help others to heaven. — Be sure 
to make it the main end of your studies and preaching. 
He is the able, skilful minister,, that is best skilled in the 
art of instructing, convincing, persuading, and conse- 
quently of winning souls ; and that is the best sermon that 
is best in these. When you seek not God, but yourselves, 
God will make you the most contemptible of men. It is 
true of your reputation, what Christ says of your life, "He 
that loveth it shall lose it." Let the vigor of your per- 
suasions show, that you are sensible on how weighty a 
business you are sent. Preach with that seriousness and 



225 

fervor, as men that believe their own doctrine, and that 
know their hearers must be prevailed with, or be damned. 
— Think not that all your work is in your studies and 
pulpit. You are shepherds, and must know every sheep, 
and what is their disease, and mark their strayings, and 
help to cure them and fetch them home. Learn of Paul, 
not only to "teach your people publicly, but from house 
to house." Inquire how they grow in knowledge and 
holiness, and on what grounds they build their hopes of 
salvation, and whether they walk uprightly, and perform 
the duties of their several relations. See whether they 
worship God in their families, and teach them how to do 
it. Be familiar with them, that you may maintain your 
interest in them, and improve it all for God. Know of 
them how they profit by public teaching. If any too little 
" savor the things of the Spirit," let them be pitied, but 
not neglected. If any walk disorderly, recover them with 
diligence and patience. If they be ignorant, it may be 
your fault as much as theirs. Be not asleep while the 
wolf is waking. — Deal not slightly with any. Some will 
not tell their people plainly of their sins, because they are 
great men ; and some because they are godly ; as if none 
but the poor and the wicked should be dealt plainly with. 
Yet labor to be skilful and discreet, that the manner may 
answer to the excellency of the matter. Every reasonable 
soul hath both judgment and affection ; and every rational, 
spiritual sermon, must have both. Study and pray, and 
pray and study, till you are become " workmen that need 
not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth; " that 
your people may not be ashamed, nor weary in hearing 
you. — Let your conversation be teaching, as well as your 
doctrine. Be as forward in a holy and heavenly life as 
you are in pressing others to it. Let your discourse be 
edifying and spiritual. Suffer any thing, rather than tlie 
20* 



226 

gospel and men's souls should suffer. Let men see that 
you use not the ministry only for a trade to live by : but 
that your hearts are set upon the welfare of souls. What- 
soever meekness, humility, condescension, or self-denial 
you teach them from the gospel, teach it them also by 
your undissembled example. Study and strive after unity 
and peace. If ever you would promote the kingdom of 
Christ, and your people's salvation, do it in a way of peace 
and love. It is as hard a thing to maintain in your people 
a sound understanding, a tender conscience, a lively, 
gracious, heavenly frame of spirit, and an upright life, 
amidst contention, as to keep your candle lighted in the 
greatest storms. " Blessed is that servant, whom his 
Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing." 

19. All you whom God hath intrusted with the care of 
children and servants, I would also persuade to this great 
work of helping others to the heavenly rest. — Consider 
what plain and pressing commands of God require this at 
your hands. " These words thou shalt teach diligently 
unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest 
in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and 
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. — Train 
up a child in the way he should go : and when he is old, 
he will not depart from it. — Bring up your children in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord." Joshua resolved, 
that " he and his house would serve the Lord." And 
God himself says of Abraham, " I know him, that he will 
eommand his children, and his household after him, and 
they shall keep the way of the Lord." — Consider, it is a 
duty vou owe your children in point of justice. From you 
they received the defilement and misery of their natures : 
and therefore you owe them all possible help for their 
recoverv. — Consider, how near your children are to you. 
They are parts of yourselves. If they prosper when you 
are dead, you take it as if you lived and prospered in 



2-27 

them ; and should you not be of the same mind for their 
everlasting rest ? Otherwise you will be witnesses against 
your own souls. Your care, and pains, and cost for their 
bodies, will condemn you for your neglect of their precious 
souls. Yea, all the brute creatures may condemn you. 
Which of them is not tender of their young 1 — Consider, 
God hath made your children your charge, and your ser- 
vants too. Every one will confess they are the minister's 
charge. And have not you a greater charge of your own 
families, than any minister can have of them ? Doubtless 
at your hands God will require the blood of their souls. 
It is the greatest charge you were ever intrusted with, and 
wo to you, if you suffer them to be ignorant or wicked for 
want of your instruction or correction. — Consider, what 
work there is for you in their dispositions and lives. 
Theirs is not one sin, but thousands. They have hered- 
itary diseases, bred in their natures. The things you must 
teach them are contrary to the interests and desires of 
their flesh. May the Lord make you sensible what a work 
and charge lieth upon you ! — Consider what sorrows you 
prepare for yourselves by the neglect of your children. If 
they prove thorns in your eyes they are of your own plant- 
ing. If you should repent and be saved, is it nothing to 
think of their damnation ; and yourselves the occasion of 
it ? But if you die in your sins, how will they cry out 
against you in hell ! " All this was wrong of you ; you 
should have taught us better, and did not ; you should 
have restrained us from sin, and corrected us, but did 
not." What an addition will such outcries be to your 
misery. On the other side, think what a comfort you 
may have, if you be faithful in this duty. If you should 
not succeed, you have freed your own souls, and have 
peace in your own consciences. If you do, the comfort is 
inexpressible, in their love and obedience, their supplying 
your wants, and delighting you in all your remaining path 



228 

io glory. Yea, all your family may fare the better for one 
pious child or servant. But the greatest joy will be, when 
you shall say, " Lord, here am I, and the children thou 
hast given me ; " and shall joyfully live with them for ever. 
— Consider how much the welfare of church and state 
depends on this duty. Good laws will not reform us, if 
reformation begin not at home. This is the cause of all 
our miseries in church and state, even the want of a holy 
education of children. I also entreat parents to consider, 
what excellent advantages they have for saving their chil- 
dren. They are with you while they are tender and 
flexible. You have a twig to bend, not an oak. None in 
the world have such interest in their affections as you 
have. You have also the greatest authority over them. 
Their whole dependence is upon you for a maintenance. 
You best know their temper and inclinations. And you 
are ever with them, and can never want opportunities : 
especially you mothers, remember this, who are more with 
your children while young, than their fathers. What 
pains are you at for their bodies ! What do you suffer to 
bring them into the world ! And will you not be at as 
much pains for the saving of their souls ! Your affections 
are tender ; and will it not move you to think of their 
perishing for ever 1 I beseech you, for the sake of the 
children of your bowels, teach them, admonish them, 
watch over them, and give them no rest till you have 
brought them to Christ. 

20. I shall conclude with this earnest request to all 
Christian parents that read these lines ; that they would 
have compassion on the souls of their poor children, and 
be faithful to the great trust that God hath put on them. 
If you cannot do what you would for them, yet do what 
you can. Both church and state, city and country, groan 
under the neglect of this weighty duty. m Your children 
know not God, nor his laws, but take his name in vain 4 



229 

and slight his worship, and you neither instruct them nor 
correct them ; and therefore God corrects both them and 
you. You are so tender of them, that God is the less 
tender of both them and you. Wonder not if God make 
you smart for your children's sins ; for you are guilty of 
all they commit, by your neglect of your duty to reform 
them. Will you resolve, therefore, to set upon this duty, 
and neglect it no longer ? Remember Eli. Your chil- 
dren are like Moses in the bulrushes, ready to perish if 
they have not help. As ever you would not be charged 
before God as murderers of their souls, nor have them cry 
out against you in everlasting fire, see that you teach them 
how to escape it, and bring them up in holiness and the 
fear of God. I charge every one of you, upon your alle- 
giance to God, as you will very shortly answer the con- 
trary at your peril, that you will neither refuse nor neglect 
this most necessary duty. If you are not willing to do it, 
now you know it to be so great a duty, you are rebels, and 
no true subjects of Jesus Christ. If you are willing, but 
know not how, I will add a few words of direction to help 
you. Lead them, by your own example, to prayer, reading, 
and other religious duties. Inform their understandings. 
Store their memories. Rectify their wills. Quicken 
their affections. Keep tender their consciences. Restrain 
their tongues, and teach them gracious speech. Reform 
and watch over their outward conversation. To these 
ends, get them Bibles and pious books, and see that they 
read them. Examine them often what they learn ; espe- 
cially spend the Lord's-day in this work, and suffer them 
not to spend it in sports or idleness. Show them the 
meaning of what they read or learn. Keep them out of 
evil company, and acquaint them with the godly. And 
fail not to make them learn their catechism. Especially 
show them the -necessity, excellency, and pleasure of serv- 
ing God ; and labor to fix all upon their hearts. 



230 



CHAPTER X. 

The Saints 1 Rest is not to be expected on Earth. 

Sect. 1. In order to show the sin and folly of expecting rest here. 

2. (I.) The reasonableness of present afflictions is considered : 

3. (1.) that they are the way to rest ; 4. (2.)„keep us from mis- 
taking our rest; 5. (3.) from losing our way to it} 6. (4.) 
quicken our pace towards it; 7. (5.) chiefly incommode our 
flesh ; 8, 9, and (6.) under them the sweetest foretastes of rest 
are often enjoyed. 10. (II.) How unreasonable to rest in present 
enjoyments; 11. (1.) that it is idolatry; 12. (2.) that it con- 
tradicts God's end in giving them ; 13. (3.) is the way to have 
them refused, withdrawn, or imbittered; 14. (4.) that to be 
suffered to take up our rest here is the greatest curse ; 15. (5.) 
that it is seeking rest where it is not; 16. (6.) that the creatures, 
without God, would aggravate our misery ; 17. (7.) and all this 
is confirmed by experience. 18. The author laments that this is 
nevertheless a most common sin. 19 — 23. (III.) How unreason- 
able our unwillingness to die, and possess the saints' rest is 
largely considered. 24. The author apologizes for saying so 
much on this last head. 

1. We are not yet come to our resting place. Doth it 
remain? How great then is our sin and folly to seek 
and expect it here. Where shall we find the Christian 
that deserves not this reproof? We would all have con- 
tinual prosperity, because it is easy and pleasing to the 
flesh ; but we consider not the unreasonableness of such 
desires. And when we enjoy convenient houses, goods, 
lands, and revenues ; or the necessary means God hath 
appointed for our spiritual good ; we seek rest in these 
enjoyments. Whether we are in an afflicted or prosper- 
ous state, it is apparent, we exceedingly make the 



231 

creature our rest. Do we not desire creature enjoyments 
more violently, when we want them, than we desire God 
himself? Do we not delight more in the possession of 
them, than in the enjoyment of God ? And if we lose 
them, doth it not trouble us more than our loss of 
God ? Is it not enough, that they are refreshing helps in 
our way to heaven, but they must also be made our 
heaven itself? Christian Reader, I would as willingly 
make thee sensible of this sin, as of any sin in the world, 
if I could tell how to do it ; for the Lord's greatest quarrel 
with us is in this point. In order to this, I most earnestly 
beseech thee to consider — the reasonableness of present 
afflictions — and the unreasonableness of resting in present 
enjoyments :— as also of our unwillingness to die, that we 
may possess eternal rest 

2. (I.) To show the reasonableness of present afflic- 
tions, consider — they are the way to rest — they keep us 
from mistaking our rest, and from losing our way to it — - 
they quicken our pace towards it — they chiefly incom- 
mode our flesh ; — and under them God's people have often 
the sweetest foretastes of their rest. 

3. (1.) Consider, that labor and trouble are the com- 
mon way to rest, both in the course of nature and grace. 
Can there possibly be rest without weariness ? Do you 
not travail and toil first, and rest after ? The day for 
labor is first, and then follows the night for rest. Why 
should we desire the course of grace to be perverted, any 
more than the course of nature ? It is an established 
decree, " that we must, through much tribulation enter 
into the kingdom of God." And that " if we suffer, we 
shall also reign with Christ." And what are we, that 
God's statutes should be reversed for our pleasures ? 

4. (2.) Afflictions are exceeding useful to us, to keep 
us from mistaking our rest. A Christian's motion towards 



232 

heaven is voluntary, and not constrained. Those means 
therefore are most profitable, which help his understanding 
and will. The most dangerous mistake of our souls is, to 
take the creature for God, and earth for heaven. What 
warm, affectionate, eager thoughts have we of the world, 
till afflictions cool and moderate them ! Afflictions speak 
convincingly, and will be heard when preachers cannot. 
Many a poor Christian is sometimes bending his thoughts 
to wealth, or flesh-pleasing, or applause, and so loses his 
relish of Christ, and the joy above ; till God break in 
upon his riches, or children, or conscience, or health, and 
break down his mountain which he thought so strong. 
And then, when he lieth in Manasseh's fetters, or is 
fastened to his bed with pining sickness, the world is 
nothing, and heaven is something. If our dear Lord did 
not put these thorns under our head, we should sleep out 
our lives, and lose our glory. 

5. (3.) Afflictions are also God's most effectual means 
to keep us from losing our way to our rest. Without this 
hedge of thorns on the right-hand and left, we should 
hardly keep the way to heaven. If there be but one gap 
open, how ready are we to find it, and turn out at it ! 
When we grow wanton, or worldly, or proud, how doth 
sickness, or other affliction reduce us ! Every Christian 
as well as Luther, may call affliction one of the best 
schoolmasters : and with David may say, " Before I was 
afflicted I went astray : but now have I kept thy word.'' 
Many thousand recovered sinners may cry, ' ; O healthful 
sickness ! O comfortable sorrows ! O gainful losses ! O 
enriching poverty ! O blessed day that ever I was af- 
flicted ! " Not only the " green pastures, and still 
waters, but the rod and staff they comfort us." Though 
the Word and Spirit do the main work, yet suffering so 
unbolts the door of the heart, that the Word hath easier 
entrance. 



233 

6. (4.) Afflictions likewise serve to quicken our pace in 
the way to our rest. It were well, if mere love would 
prevail with us, and that we were rather drawn to heaven 
than driven. But seeing our hearts are so bad that mercy 
will not do it ; it is better to be put on with the sharpest 
scourge, than loiter, like the foolish virgins, till the door 
is shut. O what a difference is there betwixt our prayers 
in health and in sickness ! betwixt our repentings in 
prosperity and adversity ! Alas, if we did not sometimes 
feel the spur, what a slow pace would most of us hold 
towards heaven ! Since our vile natures require it, why 
should we be unwilling that God should do us good by 
sharp means ? Judge, Christian, whether thou dost not 
go more watchfully and speedily in the way to heaven, in 
thy sufferings, than in thy more pleasing and prosperous 
state. 

7. (5.) Consider further, it is but the flesh that is 
chiefly troubled and grieved by afflictions. In most of 
our sufferings the soul is free, unless we ourselves wilfully 
afflict it "Why then, O my soul, dost thou side with 
this flesh, and complain, as it complaineth ? It should be 
thy work to keep it under, and bring it into subjection ; 
and if God do it for thee, shouldst thou be discontented ? 
Hath not the pleasing of it been the cause of almost all 
thy spiritual sorrows ? Why then may not the displeasing 
of it further thy joy ? Must not Paul and Silas sing, 
because their feet are in the stocks ? Their spirits "were 
not imprisoned. Ah, unworthy soul ! is this thy thanks 
to God for preferring thee so far before thy body ? When 
it is rotting in the grave, thou shalt be a companion of 
the perfected spirits of the just. In the mean time hast 
thou not consolation which the flesh knows not of? 
Murmur not then at God's dealings with thy body : if it 
were for want of love to thee, he would not have dealt so 

21 



234 

U his saints. Nev< flesh should trulv 

expound the meaning of the rod. It will call love hatred : 
and say. God is destroying, when he is $ _ I: is the 
suffering party, and therefore not fit to be the judge. 
Could we once belie " ?.nd judge of his dealing 
his Word, and by their usefulr.— dot souls, and 

refea en 5e and could we stop our ears against 

all the clamors of the flesh, then we should hare a truer 
judgment of our afflictions. 

B <Dnce more consider, God seldom gives his 

people so sweet a foretaste of their future rest, as in their 
leef afflictions. He keeps his most preeioas : ordials for 
the time of our greatest faintings and dangr s He gives 
them, when he knows they are needed, and will be valued : 
and when he is sure to be thanked for them, and his 
people rejoiced by them. Especially, when our - _ 

are more directly for his cause, then he seldom fails to 
sweeten the bitter cup. The martyrs have possessed the 
When fid Christ preach such comfc: - fee 
his disciples, as when their hearts were sorrowful at his 
departure ! WTien did he appear amonsr them, an 
"Peace be unto you,"' but when they were shut up for 
fear of the Jews? When did Stephen see heaven opened, 
but when he was giving v: his life for the testimony of 
Jesus ? Is not that our best state, wherein we have most 
else do we desab b to c :me to heaven ? If 
we look for a heaven of fleshly delights, we shall find 
ourselves mistaken Conclude then, that affliction . 
so bad a state _ : a saint in his rest A 

i than God ? Doth he not know what is good for us 
as well as wel or is he not as ireful of our good, as we 
are : : our own I Wc : : us. if he were not much mo: 
and if he did not love us better than wc love either him 
. selves 



235 

9. Say not, " I could bear any other affliction but this." 
If God had afflicted thee where thou canst bear it, thy 
idol would neither have been discovered nor removed. 
Neither say, "If God would deliver me out of it, I 
could be content to bear it." Is it nothing that he hath 
promised it shall work for thy good ? Is it not enough 
that thou art sure to be delivered at death ? Nor let it 
be said, " If my affliction did not disable me from my 
duty I could bear it." It doth not disable thee for that 
duty which tendeth to thy own personal benefit, but it is 
the greatest quickening help thou canst expect. As for 
thy duty to others, it is not thy duty when God disables 
thee. Perhaps thou wilt say, " The godly are my afflicters ; 
if it were ungodly men, I could easily bear it." Whoever 
is the instrument, the affliction is from God, and the 
deserving cause thyself; and is it not better to look more 
to God than thyself? Didst thou not know that the best 
men are still sinful in part? Do not plead, " If I had but 
that consolation, which you say God reserveth for suffering 
times, I should suffer more contentedly ; but I do not 
perceive any such thing." The more you suffer for 
righteousness 5 sake, the more of this blessing you may 
expect ; and the more you suffer for your own evil doing, 
the longer it will be before that sweetness comes. Are 
not the comforts you desire, neglected or resisted ? Have 
your afflictions wrought kindly with you, and fitted you 
for comfort? It is not suffering that prepares you for 
comfort, but the success and fruit of suffering upon your 
hearts. 

10. (II.) To show the unreasonableness of resting in 
present enjoyments, consider — it is idolizing them — it 
contradicts God's end in giving them — it is the way to 
have them refused, withdrawn, or imbittered — to be 
suffered to take up our rest here, is the greatest curse — it 
is seeking rest where it is not to be found — the creatures, 



236 

without God, would aggravate our misery — and to confirm 
all this, we may consult our own and others' experience. 

11. (1.) It is gross idolatry to make any creature, or 
means, our rest. To be the rest of the soul, is God's own 
prerogative. As it is apparent idolatry to place our rest 
in riches, or honors ; so it is but a more refined idolatry 
to take up our rest in excellent means of grace. How ill 
must our dear Lord take it, when we give him cause to 
complain, as he did of our fellow-idolaters, " My people 
have been lost sheep, they have forgotten their resting- 
place?" " My people can find rest in any thing rather 
than in me. They can delight in one another, but not in 
me. They can rejoice in my creatures and ordinances, 
but not in me. Yea, in their very labors and duties they 
seek for rest, but not in me. They had rather be any 
where than be with me. Are these their gods 1 Have 
these redeemed them ? "Will these be better to them thaa 
I have been, or than I would be T" If yourselves have a 
wife, a husband, a son, that had rather be any where than 
in your company, and be never so merry as when furthest 
from you, would you not take it ill 1 So must our Go<£ 
needs do. 

12. (2.) You contradict the end of God in giving these 
enjoyments. He gave them to help thee to him, and dost 
thou take up with them in his stead I He gave them to 
be refreshments in thy journey, and wouldst thou dwell in 
thy inn, and go no further? It may be said of all our 
comforts and ordinances, as is said of the Israelites, "The 
ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them, to 
search out a resting-place for them.*' So do all God's 
mercies here. They are not that rest ; as John professed 
he was not the Christ ; but they are voices crying in this 
wilderness, to bid us prepare, " for the kingdom of God," 
our true rest, " is at hand." Therefore to rest here,, 
were to turn all mercies contrary to their own ends, and 



237 

to our own advantages, and to destroy ourselves with that 
which should help us. 

13. (3.) It is the way to cause God, either to deny the 
mercies we ask, or to take from us those we enjoy, or at 
least imbitter them to us. God is no where so jealous 
as here. If you had a servant whom your wife loved 
better than yourself, would you not take it ill of such a 
wife, and rid your house of such a servant ? So, if the 
Lord see you begin to settle in the world and say, " Here 
I will rest ; " no wonder if he soon in his jealousy unsettle 
you. If he love you, no wonder if he take that from you 
with which he sees you are destroying yourselves. It 
hath long been my observation of many, that when they 
have attempted great works, and have, just finished them ; 
or have aimed at great things in the world, and have just 
obtained them ; or have lived in much trouble, and have 
just overcome it ; and began to look on their condition 
with content, and rest in it ; they are then usually near 
to death or ruin. When a man is once at this language, 
" Soul, take thy ease ; " the next news usually is, " Thou 
fool, this night," or this month, or this year, " thy soul 
shall be required, and then whose shall these things be?" 
What house is there, where this fool dwelleth not? Let 
you and I consider, whether it be not our own case. 
Many a servant of God hath been destroyed from the 
earth, by being overvalued and overloved. I am per- 
suaded, our discontents and murmurings are not so 
provoking to God, nor so destructive to the sinner, as our 
too sweet enjoying, and resting in, a pleasant state. If 
God hath crossed you in wife, children, goods, friends, 
either by taking them away, or the comfort of them ; try 
whether this be not the cause : for wheresoever your 
desire stop, and you say, " Now I am well ; " that 
condition you make your god, and engage the jealousy 
21 * 



238 

of God against it. Whether you be friends to God or 
enemies, you can never expect that God should suffer you 
quietly to enjoy your idols. 

14. (4.) Should God surfer you to take up your rest 
here, it is one of the greatest curses that could befall you. 
It were better never to have a day of ease in the world ; 
for then weariness might make you seek after true rest. 
Bat if you are suffered to sit down and rest here, a restless 
wretch you will be through all eternity. To " have their 
portion in this life," is the lot of the most miserable 
perishing sinners. Doth it become Christians, then, to 
expect so much here ? Our rest is our heaven ; and 
where we take our rest, there we make our heaven. And 
wouldst thou have but such a heaven as this % 

15. (5.) It is seeking rest where it is not to be found. 
Your labor will be lost ; and if you proceed, your soul's 
eternal rest too. — Our rest is only in the full obtaining of 
our ultimate end. But that is not to be expected in this 
life ; neither is rest therefore to be expected here. Is 
God to be enjoyed in the best church here, as he is in 
heaven ? How little of God the saints enjoy under the 
best means, let their own complainings testify, Poor 
comforters are the best ordinances without God. Should 
a traveller take up his rest in the way ? No ; because 
his home is his journey's end. When you have all that 
creatures and means can afford, have you that you be- 
lieved, prayed, suffered for 1 I think you dare not say so, 
We are like little children strayed from home, and God is 
now fetching us home, and we are ready to turn into any 
house, stay and play with'every thing in our way, and sit 
down on every green bank, and much ado there is to 
get us home. — We are also in the midst of our labors and 
dangers ; and is there any resting here I What painful 
work doth lie upon our hands 1 Look to our brethren, to 
our souls, and to God ; and what a deal of work, in respect 



239 

to each of these, doth lie before us ! And can we rest 
in the midst of all our labors ? Indeed we may rest on 
earth, as the ark is said to have " rested in the midst of 
Jordan : " a short and small rest. Or as Abraham desired 
the " angels to turn in and rest themselves" in his tent, 
where they would have been loath to have taken up their 
dwelling. Should Israel have fixed their rest in the 
wilderness, among serpents, and enemies, and weariness, 
and famine ? Should Noah have made the ark his home, 
and have been loath to come forth when the waters were 
assuaged? Should the mariner choose his dwelling on 
the sea, and settle his rest in the midst of rocks, and 
sands, and raging tempests ? Should a soldier rest in the 
thickest of his enemies ? And are not Christians such 
travellers, such mariners, such soldiers? Have you not 
fears within, and trouble without ? Are we not in con- 
tinual dangers? We cannot eat, drink, sleep, labor, pray, 
hear, converse, but in the midst of snares ; and shall we 
sit down and rest here ? O Christian, follow thy work, 
look to thy dangers, hold on to the end, win the field, and 
come off the ground, before thou think of a settled rest. 
Whenever thou talkest of a rest on earth, it is like Peter 
on the mount, " thou knowest not what thou sayest." If, 
instead of telling the converted thief, "this day shalt thou 
be with me in paradise," Christ had said he should rest 
there upon the cross ; would he not have taken it for a 
derision ? Methinks it would be ill resting in the midst 
of sickness and pains, persecutions and distresses. But 
if nothing else will convince us, yet sure the remainders 
of sin, which do so easily beset us, should quickly satisfy 
a believer, that here is not his rest. I say therefore, to 
every one that thinketh of rest on earth, "Arise ye, and 
depart, for this is not your rest, because it is polluted." 
These things cannot in their nature be a true Christian's 
rest. They are too poor to make us rich ; too low, to 



240 

raise us to happiness; too empty, to fill our souls; and of 
too short a continuance, to be our eternal content. If 
prosperity, and whatsoever we here desire, be too base to 
make gods of, they are too base to be our rest. — The 
soul's rest must be sufficient to afford it perpetual satisfac- 
tion. But. the content which creatures afford, waxes old, 
and abates after a short enjoyment. If God should rain 
down angels' food, we should soon loathe the manna. If 
novelty support not, our delights on earth grow dull. All 
creatures are to us, as the flowers to the bee ; there is but 
littje honey on any one, and therefore there must be a 
superficial taste ; and so to the next. — The more the 
creature is known, the less it satisfieth. Those only are 
taken with it, who see no further than its outward 
beauty, without discerning its inward vanity. When we 
thoroughly know the condition of other men, and have 
discovered the evil as well as the good, and the defects as 
well as the perfections, we then cease our admiration. 

16. (6.) To have creatures and means without God, is 
an aggravation of our misery. If God should say, " Take 
my creatures, my word, my servants, my ordinances, but 
not myself;" would you take this for happiness? If you 
had the word of God, and not " the Word," which is God ; 
or the bread of the Lord, and not the Lord, which "is the 
true bread;" or could cry with the Jews, "The temple 
of the Lord," and had not the Lord of the temple ; this 
were a poor happiness. Was Capernaum the more happy, 
or the more miserable, for seeing the mighty works which 
they had seen, and hearing the words of Christ which 
they did hear? Surely that which aggravates our sin, 
and misery, cannot be our rest. 

17. (7.) To confirm all this, let us consult our own and 
others' experience. — Millions have made trial, but did any 
ever find a sufficient rest for his soul on earth ? Delights 
I deny not but they have found, but rest and satisfaction 



241 

they never found. And shall we think to find that which 
never man could find before us? Ahab's kingdom is 
nothing to him, without Naboth's vineyard ; and did that 
satisfy him when he obtained it ? Were you, like Noah's 
dove, to look through the earth for a resting-place, you 
would return confessing, that you could find none. Go, 
ask honor, Is there rest here ? You may as well rest on 
the top of tempestuous mountains, or in ^Etna's flames. 
Ask riches, Is there rest here ? Even such as is in a bed 
of thorns. If you inquire for rest of worldly pleasure, it 
is such as the fish hath in swallowing the bait : when the 
pleasure is sweetest, death is nearest. Go to learning, 
and even to divine ordinances, and inquire whether there 
your souls may rest? You might indeed receive from 
these an olive branch of hope, as they are means to your 
rest, and have relation to eternity ; but in regard of any 
satisfaction in themselves, you would remain as restless 
as ever. How well might all these answer us, as Jacob 
did Rachel, " Am I in God's stead," that you come to me 
for soul-rest? Not all the states of men in the world; 
neither court nor country, towns nor cities, shops nor 
fields, treasures, libraries, solitude, society, studies, nor 
pulpits, can afford any such thing as this rest. If you 
could inquire of the dead of all generations, or of the 
living through all dominions, they would all tell you, 
" Here is no rest." Or if other men's experience move 
you not, take a view of your own. Can you remember 
the state that did fully satisfy you ; or if you could, will it 
prove lasting ? I believe we may all say of our earthly 
rest, as Paul of our hope, " If it were in this life only, we 
are of all men the most miserable." 

18. If then either Scripture or reason, or the experience 
of ourselves, and all the world, will satisfy us, we may see 
there is no resting here. And yet how guilty are the 
generality of us of this sin ! How many halts and stops 



242 

do we make, before we will make the Lord our rest ! 
How mast God even drive us, and fire us out of every 
condition, lest we should sit down and rest there ! If he 
gives us prosperity, riches, or honor, we do in our hearts 
dance before them, as the Israelites before their calf, and 
say, "These are thy gods;" and conclude, "it is good 
to be here.' 5 If he imbitter all these to us, how restless 
are we till our condition be sweetened, that we may sit 
down again, and rest where we were ! If he proceed in 
the cure, and take the creature quite away, then how do 
we labor, and cry, and pray, that God would restore it, 
that we may make it our rest again ! And while we are 
deprived of our former idol, yet rather than come to God, 
we delight ourselves in the hope of recovering it, and 
make that very hope our rest; or search about from 
creature to creature, to find out something to supply the 
room : yea, if we can find no supply, yet we will rather 
settle in this misery, and make a rest of a wretched being, 
than leave all and come to God. O the cursed averseness 
of our souls from God ! If any place in hell were 
tolerable, the soul would rather take up its rest there, than 
come to God. Yea, when he is bringing us over to him, 
and hath convinced us of the worth of his ways and 
service, the last deceit of all is here, we will rather settle 
upon those ways that lead to him, and those ordinances 
that speak of him, and those gifts which flow from him, 
than we will come entirely over to himself. Christian, 
marvel not that I speak so much of resting in these ; 
beware lest it prove thy own case. I suppose thou art so 
far convinced of the vanity of riches, honor, and pleasure, 
that thou canst more easily disclaim these ; and it is well 
if it be so ; but the means of grace thou lookest on with 
less suspicion, and thinkest thou canst not delight in them 
too much, especially seeing most of the world despise 
them, or delight in them too little. I know they must be 



243 

loved and valued ; and he that delighteth in any worldly 
thing more than in them, is not a Christian. But when 
we are content with ordinances without God, and had 
rather be at a sermon than in heaven, and a member of 
the church here than of the perfect church above, this is 
a sad mistake. So far let thy soul take comfort in ordi- 
nances, as God doth accompany them; remembering, 
this is not heaven, but the first-fruits. "While we are 
present in the body, we are absent from the Lord ; " and 
while we are absent from him, we are absent from our 
rest. If God were as willing to be absent from us as we 
from him, and as loath to be our rest as we to rest in him, 
we should be left to an eternal restless separation. In a 
word, as you are sensible of the sinfulness of your earthly 
discontents, so be you also of your irregular satisfaction, 
and pray God to pardon them much more. And above 
all the plagues on this side hell, see that you watch and 
pray against settling any where short of heaven, or re- 
posing your souls on any thing below God. 

19. (III.) The next thing to be considered is, our 
unreasonable unwillingness to die, that we may possess 
the saints' rest. We linger, like Lot in Sodom, till " the 
Lord being merciful unto us," doth pluck us away against 
our will. I confess that death of itself is not desirable ; 
but the soul's rest with God is, to which death is the 
common passage. Because we are apt to make light of 
this sin, let me set before you its nature and remedy, in a 
variety of considerations. As for instance, — it has in it 
much infidelity. If we did but verily believe, that the 
promise of this glory is the word of God, and that God 
doth truly mean as he speaks, and is fully resolved to 
make it good ; if we did verily believe, that there is indeed 
such blessedness prepared for believers ; surely we should 
be as impatient of living, as we are now fearful of dying, 
and should think every day a year till our last day should 



244 

come. Is it possible that we can truly believe, that death 
will remove us from misery to such glory, and yet be 
loath to die ? If the doubts of our own interest in that 
glory make us fear, yet a true belief of the certainty and 
excellence of this rest would make us restless till our title 
to it be cleared. Though there is much faith and 
Christianity in our mouths, yet there is much infidelity 
and paganism in our hearts, which is the chief cause that 
we are so loath to die. — It is also much owing to the 
coolness of our love. If we love our friend, we love his 
company ; his presence is comfortable, his absence is 
painful : when- he comes to us, we entertain him with 
gladness: when he dies, we mourn, and usually over- 
mourn. To be separated from a faithful friend, is like 
the rending a member from our body. And would not 
our desires after God be such, if we really loved him 1 
Nay, should it not be much more than such, as he is 
above all friends most lovely ? May the Lord teach us to 
look closely to our hearts, and take heed of self-deceit in 
this point ! Whatever we pretend, if we love either 
father, mother, husband, wife, child, friend, wealth, or 
life itself more than Christ, we are yet none of his sincere 
disciples. When it conies to the trial, the question will 
not be, Who hath preached most, or heard most, or 
talked most ? but, Who hath loved most ? Christ will 
not take sermons, prayers, fastings; no, nor the "giving 
our goods," nor the " burning our bodies," instead of 
love. And do we love him, and yet care not how long 
we are from him ? Was it such a joy to Jacob to see the 
face of Joseph in Egypt? and shall we be contented 
without the sight of Christ in glory, and yet say we love 
him 1 I dare not conclude, that we have no love at all, 
when we are so loath to die ; but I dare say, were our 
love more, we should die more willingly. If this holy 
flame were thoroughly kindled in our breasts, we should 



245 

cry out with David, " As the hart panteth after the 
water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My 
soul thirsteth for God, for the living God ; when shall I 
come and appear before God?" — By our unwillingness to 
die, it appears we are little weary of sin. Did we take 
sin for the greatest evil, we should not be willing to have 
its company so long. "O foolish, sinful heart! Hast 
thou been so long a cage of all unclean lusts, a fountain 
incessantly streaming forth- the bitter waters of transgres- 
sion, and art thou not yet weary ? Wretched soul ! hast 
thou been so long wounded in all thy faculties, so griev- 
ously languishing in all thy performances, so fruitful a 
soil of all iniquities, and art thou not yet more weary? 
Wouldst thou still lie under thy imperfections ? Hath 
thy sin proved so profitable a commodity, so necessary a 
companion, such a delightful employment, that thou dost 
so much dread the parting day? May not God justly 
grant thee thy wishes, and seal thee a lease of thy desired 
distance from him, and nail thy ears to these doors of 
misery, and exclude thee eternally from his glory ? " — It 
shows that we are insensible of the vanity of the creature, 
when we are so loath to hear or think of a removal* 
" Ah, foolish, wretched soul, doth every prisoner groan 
for freedom ? and every slave desire his jubilee ? And 
every sick man long for health ? and every hungry man 
for food ? and dost thou alone abhor deliverance ? Doth 
the sailor wish to see land? Doth the husbandman desire 
the harvest, and the laborer to receive his pay? Doth 
the traveller long to be at home, and the racer to win the 
prize, and the soldier to win the field ? and art thou loath 
to see thy labors finished, and to receive the end of thy 
faith and sufferings ? Have thy griefs been only dreams ? 
If they were, yet methinks thou shouldst not be afraid of 
waking. Or is it not rather the world's delights that are 
22 



246 

all mere dreams and shadows ? Or is the world become 
of late more kind 1 We may at our peril reconcile our- 
selves to the world, but it will never reconcile itself to us. 
O unworthy soul ! who hadst rather dwell in this land of 
darkness, and wander in this barren wilderness, than be 
at rest with Jesus Christ ! who hadst rather stay among 
the wolves, and daily suffer the scorpion's stings, than 
praise the Lord with the host of heaven ! " 

20. This unwillingness to die, doth actually impeach 
us of high treason against the Lord. Is it not choosing 
of earth before him, and taking of present things for our 
happiness, and consequently making them our very God ? 
If we did indeed make God our end, our rest, our portion, 
our treasure, how is it possible but we should desire to 
enjoy him? — It moreover discovers some dissimulation. 
Would you have any believe you, when you call the Lord 
your only hope, and speak of Christ as all in all, and of 
the joy that is in his presence, and yet would endure the 
hardest life, rather than die, and enter into his presence ? 
What self-contradiction is this, to talk so hardly of the 
world and the flesh, to groan and complain of sin and 
suffering ; and yet. fear no day more than that, which we 
expect should bring our final freedom ! What hypocrisy 
is this, to profess to strive and fight for heaven, which we 
are loath to come to ! and spend one hour after another in 
prayer, for that which we would not have ! Hereby we 
wrong the Lord and his promises, and disgrace his ways 
in the eyes of the world. As if we would persuade them 
to question, whether God be true to his word or not ? 
whether there be any such glory as the Scripture men- 
tions ? When they see those so loath to leave their hold 
of present things, who have professed to live by faith, and 
have boasted of their hopes in another world, and spoken 
disgracefully of all things below, in comparison of things 
above, how doth this confirm the world in their unbelief 



247 

and sensuality? "Sure," say they, "if these professors 
did expect so much glory, and make so light of the world 
as they seem, they would not themselves be so loath to 
change." O how are we ever able to repair the wrong 
which we do to God and souls by this scandal ! And 
what an honor to God, what a strengthening to believers, 
what a conviction to unbelievers would it be, if Christians 
in this did answer their profession, and cheerfully welcome 
the news of rest ! — It also evidently shows, that we have 
spent much time to little purpose. Have we not had all our 
lifetime to prepare to die ? So many years to make ready 
for one hour, and are we so unready and unwilling yet ? 
What have we done ? Why have we lived ? Had we 
any greater matters to mind ? Would we have wished for 
more frequent warnings ? How oft hath death entered 
ihe habitations of our neighbors! How oft hath it 
knocked at our own doors ! How many distempers have 
vexed our bodies, that we have been forced to receive the 
sentence of death ! And are we unready and unwilling 
after all this ? O careless dead-hearted sinners ! unworthy 
neglecters of God's warnings ! faithless betrayers of our 
own souls! 

21. Consider, not to die, is never to be happy. To 
escape death, is to miss of blessedness ; except God should 
translate us, as Enoch and Elijah; which he never did 
before or since. " If in this life only we have hope in 
Christ, we are of all men most miserable." If you would 
not die, and go to heaven, what would you have more 
than an epicure or a beast ? Why do we pray, and fast, 
and mourn'? Why do we suffer the contempt of the 
world? Why are we Christians, and not pagans and 
infidels, if we do not desire a life to come ? Wouldst thou 
lose thy faith and labor, Christian ? all thy duties and 
sufferings, all the end of thy life, and all the blood of 
-Christ, and be contented with the portion of a worldling 



248 

or a brute? Rather say, as one did on his death-bed. 
when he was asked whether he was willing to die or not, 
" Let him be loath to die, who is loath to be with Christ." 
Is God willing by death to glorify us, and we are unwilling 
to die, that we may be glorified ? Methinks, if a prince 
were willing to make you his heir, you would scarce be 
unwilling to accept it : the refusing such a kindness would 
discover ingratitude and unworthiness. As God hath 
resolved against them, who make excuses when they 
should come to Christ, "None of those men, who were 
bidden, shall taste of my supper ; " so it is just with him 
to resolve against us, who frame excuses when we should 
come to glory.— The Lord Jesus Christ was willing to 
come from heaven to earth for us, and shall we be unwil- 
ling to remove from earth to heaven for ourselves and him 1 
He might have said, " What is it to me, if these sinners 
suffer ? If they value their flesh above their spirits, and 
their lusts above my Father's love ; if they will sell their 
souls for nought, who is it fit should be the loser ? Should 
I, whom they have wronged ? Must they wilfully transgress 
my law, and I undergo their deserved pain? Must I 
come down from heaven to earth, and clothe myself with 
human flesh, be spit upon and scorned by man, and fast, 
and weep, and sweat, and suffer, and bleed, and die a 
cursed death ; and all this for wretched worms, who would 
rather hazard their souls, than forbear one forbidden 
morsel ? Do they cast away themselves so slightly, and 
must I redeem them so dearly?" Thus we see Christ 
had reason enough to have made him unwilling ; and yet 
did he voluntarily condescend. But we have no reason 
against our coming to him ; except we will reason against 
our hopes, and plead for a perpetuity of our own calam- 
ities. Christ came down to fetch us up ; and would we 
have him lose his blood and labor, and go again without 
us ? Hath he bought our rest at so dear a rate ? Is our 



249 

inheritance " purchased with his blood ? " And are we, 
after all this, loath to enter ? Ah, Sirs ! it was Christ, and 
not we, that had cause to be loath. May the Lord forgive, 
and heal this foolish ingratitude ! 

22. Do we not combine with our most cruel foes in 
their most malicious designs, while we are loath to die, 
and go to heaven ? What is the devil's daily business ? 
Is it not to keep our souls from God ? And shall we be 
content with this? Is it not the one-half of hell which 
we wish to ourselves, while we desire to be absent from 
heaven ? What sport is this to Satan, that his desires and 
thine, Christian, should so concur ! that when he sees he 
cannot get thee to hell, he can so long keep thee out of 
heaven, and make thee the earnest petitioner for it thyself! 
O gratify not the devil so much to thy own injury ! Do 
not our daily fears of death make our lives a continual 
torment ? Those lives which might be full of joy, in the 
daily contemplation of the life to come, and the sweet 
delightful thoughts of bliss ; how do we fill them up with 
causeless terrors ! Thus we consume our own comforts, 
and prey upon our truest pleasures. When we might lie 
down, and rise up, and walk abroad, with our hearts full 
of the joys of God, we continually fill them with perplex- 
ing fears. For he that fears dying, must be always 
fearing; because he hath always reason to expect it. 
And how can that man's life be comfortable, who lives in 
continual fear of losing his comforts? — Are not these 
fears of death self-created sufferings? As if God had 
not inflicted enough upon us, but we must inflict more 
upon ourselves. Is not death bitter enough to the flesh of 
itself, but we must double and treble its bitterness ? The 
sufferings laid upon us by God, do all lead to happy issues : 
the progress is, from tribulation to patience, from thence 
to experience, and so to hope, and at last to glory. But 
22* 



250 

the sufferings we make for ourselves, are circular and 
endless, from sin to suffering, from suffering to sin, and 
so to suffering again ; and not only so, but they multiply 
in their course ; every sin is greater than the former, and 
so every suffering also : so that except' we think God hath 
made us to be our own tormentors, we have small reason 
to nourish our fears of death. — And are they not useless, 
unprofitable fears? As ail our care '-'cannot make one 
hair white- or black, nor, add one cubit to our stature;" so 
neither can our fear prevent our sufferings, nor delay our 
death one hour : willing, or unwilling, we must away, 
Many a man's fears have hastened his end, but no man's* 
ever did avert it. It is true, a cautious fear concerning" 
the danger after death, hath profited many, and is very 
useful to the preventing of that danger; but for a member 
of Christ, and an heir of heaven, to be afraid of entering 
his own inheritance, is a sinful, and useless fear. — And do 
not our fears of dying insnare our souls, and add strength 
to many temptations ? What made Peter deny his Lord I 
What makes apostates in suffering times forsake the truth I 
Why doth the green blade of unrooted faith wither before 
the heat of persecution? Fear of imprisonment and 
poverty may do much, but fear of death may do much 
more. So much fear as we have of death, so much 
cowardice we usually have in the cause of God : beside 
the multitude of unbelieving contrivances, and discontents 
at the wise disposals of God, and hard thoughts of most 
of his providences, which this sin doth make us guilty of, 
23. Let us further consider, what a competent time 
most of us have had. Why should not a man, that would 
die at all, be as willing at thirty or forty, if God see tit, 
as at seventy or eighty ? Length of time doth not conquer 
corruption ; it never withers nor decays through age. 
Except we receive an addition of grace, as well as time., 
we naturally grow worse. ik O my soul depart in peace ! 



251 " 

As thou wouldst not desire an unlimited state in wealth 
and honor, so desire it not in point of time. If thou wast 
sensible how little thou deservest an hour of that patience 
which thou hast enjoyed, thou wouldst think thou hast 
had a large part. Is it not divine wisdom that sets the 
bounds ? God will honor himself by various persons, and 
several ages, and not by one person or age. Seeing thou 
hast acted thy own part, and finished thy appointed course, 
come down contentedly, that others may succeed, who 
must have their turns as well as thyself. Much time hath 
much duty. Beg therefore for grace to improve it better : 
but be content with thy share of time. Thou hast also 
had a competency of the comforts of life. God might 
have made thy life a burden, till thou hadst been as weary 
of possessing it, as thou art now afraid of losing it. He 
might have suffered thee to have consumed thy days in. 
ignorance, without the true knowledge of Christ : but he 
hath opened thy eyes in the morning of thy days, and 
acquainted thee betimes with the business of thy life. 
Hath thy heavenly Father caused thy lot to fall in Europe, 
not in Asia, Africa, or America; in England, not in 
Spain or Italy ? Hath he filled up all thy life with mercies, 
and dost thou now think thy share too small ? What a 
multitude of hours of consolation, of delightful Sabbaths, 
of pleasant studies, of precious companions, of wonderful 
deliverances, of excellent opportunities, of fruitful labors, 
of joyful tidings, of sweet experiences, of astonishing- 
providences, hath thy life partaken of! Hath thy life 
been so sweet, that thou art loath to leave it ? Is this thy 
thanks to him, who is thus drawing thee to his own 
sweetness ? O foolish soul ! would thou wast as covetous 
after eternity, as thou art for a fading, perishing life ! and 
after the presence of God in glory, as thou art for con- 
tinuance on earth ! Then thou wouldst cry, < Why is his 
chariot so long in coming 1 Why tarry the wheels of Ins 



252 

chariot? How long, Lord? how long?' — What if God 
should let thee live many years, but deny thee the mercies 
which thou hast hitherto enjoyed ? Might he not give 
thee life, as he gave the murmuring Israelites quails? He 
might give thee life, till thou wert weary of living, and as 
glad to be rid of it as Judas, or Ahithophel ; and make 
thee like many miserable creatures in the world, who can 
hardly forbear laying violent hands on themselves. Be not 
therefore so importunate for life, which may prove a 
judgment, instead of a blessing. How many of the 
precious servants of God, of all ages and places, have 
gone before thee ! Thou art not to enter an untrodden 
path, nor appointed first to break the ice. Except Enoch 
and Elijah, which of the saints have escaped death ? And 
art thou better than they ? There are many millions of 
saints dead, more than now remain on the earth. What 
a number of thine own bosom-friends, and companions in 
duty, are now gone, and why shouldst thou be so loath to 
follow ? Nay, hath not Jesus Christ himself gone this 
way ? Hath he not sanctified the grave to us, and per- 
fumed the dust with his own body, and art thou loath to 
follow him too ? Rather say as Thomas, ' Let us also go, 
that we may die with him. 5 " 

24. If what hath been said, will not persuade, Scripture 
and reason hath little force. And I have said the more 
on this subject, finding it so needful to myself and others : 
finding among so many Christians, who could do and 
suffer much for Christ, so few that can willingly die : 
and of many, who have somewhat subdued other corrup- 
tions, so few have got the conquest of this. I persuade 
not the ungodly from fearing death. It is a wonder that 
they fear it no more, and spend not their days in continual 
horror. 



253 



CHAPTER XL 

The Importance of leading a Heavenly Life upon 
Earth. 

Sect. 1. The reasonableness of delighting in the thoughts of the 
saints' rest. 2. Christians exhorted to it, by considering, 3. (1.) 
it will evidence their sincere piety; 4. (2.) it is the highest excel- 
lence of the Christian temper ; 5. (3.) it leads to the most 
comfortable life ; 6 — 9. (4.) it will be the best preservative from 
temptations to sin ; 10. (5.) it will invigorate their graces and 
duties; 11. (6.) it will be their best cordial in all afflictions; 
12. (7.) it will render them most profitable to others ; 13. (8.) it 
will honor God. 14. (9.) Without it, we disobey the commands, 
and lose the most gracious and delightful discoveries of the werd 
of God. 15. (10.) It is the more reasonable to have our hearts 
with God, as his is so much on us; 16, 17, and (11.) in heaven, 
where we have so much interest and relation : 18. (12.) besides, 
there is nothing, but heaven, worth setting our hearts upon. 19. 
Transition to the subject of the next chapter. 

1. Is there such a rest remaining for us? Why then 
are our thoughts no more upon it? Why are not our 
hearts continually there? Why dwell we not there in 
constant contemplation? What is the cause of this 
neglect? Are we reasonable in this, or are we not? 
Hath the eternal God provided us such a glory, and 
promised to take us up to dwell with himself, and is not 
this worth thinking on ? Should not the strongest desires 
of our hearts be after it? Do we believe this, and yet 
forget and neglect it ? If God will not give us leave to 
approach this light, what mean all his earnest invitations ? 
Why doth he so condemn our earthly-mindedness, and 
command us to set our affections on things above ? Ah, 



254 

vile hearts ! If God were against it, we were likelier to 
be for it ; but when he commands our hearts to heaven, 
then they will not stir one inch : like our predecessors, 
the sinful Israelites ; when God would have them march 
for Canaan, then they mutiny, and will not stir ; but when 
God bids them not go, then they will be presently march- 
ing. If God say, " Love not the world, nor the things of 
the world," we dote upon it. How freely, how frequently 
can we think of our pleasures, our friends, our labors, our 
flesh and its lusts: yea, our wrongs and miseries, our 
fears and sufferings ! Bat where is the Christian whose 
heart is on his rest ? What is the matter ? Are we so 
full of joy, that we need no more? Or is there nothing 
in heaven for our joyous thoughts? Or rather, are not 
our hearts carnal and stupid? Let us humble these 
sensual hearts that have in them no more of Christ and 
glory. If this world was the only subject of our discourse, 
all would count us ungodly ; why then may we not call 
our hearts ungodly, that have so little delight in Christ 
and heaven. 

2. But I am speaking only to those whose portion is in 
heaven, whose hopes are there, and who have forsaken all 
to enjoy this glory: and shall I be discouraged from 
persuading such to be heavenly-minded ? Fellow-Chris- 
tians, if you will not hear and obey, who will ? Well 
may we be discouraged to exhort the blind, ungodly world, 
and may say, as Moses did, " Behold the children of 
Israel have not hearkened unto me, how then shall 
Pharaoh hear me?" I require thee, Reader, as ever thou 
hopest for a part in this glory, that thou presently take 
thy heart to task, chide it for its wilful strangeness to 
God, turn thy thoughts from the pursuit of vanity, bend 
thy soul to study eternity, busy it about the life to come, 
habituate thyself to such contemplations, and let not those 
thoughts be seldom and cursory, but bathe thy soul in 



255 

heaven's delights ; and if thy backward soul begin to flag, 
and thy thoughts to scatter, call them back, hold them to 
their work, bear not with their laziness, nor connive at 
one neglect. And when thou hast, in obedience to God, 
tried this work, got acquainted with it, and kept a guard 
on thy thoughts till they are accustomed to obey, thou wilt 
then find thyself in the suburbs of heaven, and that there 
is, indeed, a sweetness in the work and way of God, and 
that the life of Christianity is a life of joy. Thou wilt 
meet with those abundant consolations which thou hast 
prayed, panted, and groaned after, and which so few 
Christians do ever here obtain, because they know not 
this way to them, or else make not conscience of walking 
in it. Say not, " We are unable to set our own hearts on 
heaven ; this must be the work of God only." Though 
God be the chief disposer of your hearts, yet next under 
him you have the greatest command of them yourselves. 
Though without Christ you can do nothing, yet under him 
you may do much, and must, or else it will be undone, 
and yourselves undone through your neglect. Christians, 
if your souls were healthful and vigorous, they would 
perceive incomparably more delight and sweetness in the 
believing joyful thoughts of your future blessedness, than 
the soundest stomach finds in its food, or the strongest 
senses in the enjoyment of their objects; so little painful 
would this work be to you. But because I know, while 
we have flesh about us, and any remains of that " carnal 
mind, which is enmity to God, 1 ' and to this noble work, 
that all motives are little enough, I will here lay down 
some considerations ; which, if you will deliberately 
weigh, with an impartial judgment, I doubt not but they 
will prove effectual with your hearts, and make you 
resolve on this excellent duty. More particularly consider 
— it will evidence your sincere piety — it is the highest 
excellence of the Christian temper — it is the way to live 



256 

most comfortably — it will be the best preservative from 
temptations to sin — it will enliven your graces and duties — 
it will be your best cordial in all afflictions — it will render 
you most profitable to others — it will honor God : without 
it you will disobey the commands, and lose the most 
gracious and delightful discoveries of the word of God : 
it is also the more reasonable to have your hearts with 
God, as his is so much on you — and in heaven, where 
you have so much interest and relation : besides, there is 
nothing but heaven worth setting your hearts upon. 

3. (1.) Consider, a heart set upon heaven will be one 
of the most unquestionable evidences of your sincerity, 
and a clear discovery of a true work of saving grace upon 
your souls. You are often asking, " How shall we know 
that we are truly sanctified?" Here you have a sign 
infallible from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself — "where 
your treasure is, there will your hearts be also." God is 
the saints' treasure and happiness ; heaven is the place 
where they must fully enjoy him. A heart therefore set 
upon heaven, is no more but a heart set upon God ; and, 
surely, a heart set upon God through Christ, is the truest 
evidence of saving grace. When learning will be no 
proof of grace ; when knowledge, duties, gifts, will fail ; 
when arguments from thy tongue or hand may be con- 
futed ; yet then will this from the bent of thy heart, prove 
thee sincere. Take a poor Christian, of a weak under- 
standing, a feeble memory, a stammering tongue ; yet his 
heart is set on God, he hath chosen him for his portion, 
his thoughts are on eternity, his desires are there ; he 
cries out, "O that I were there?" He takes that day 
for a time of imprisonment, in which he hath not had one 
refreshing view of eternity. I had rather die in this 
man's condition, than in the case of him who hath the 
most eminent gifts, and is most admired for his per- 
formances, while his heart is not thus taken up with God. 



257 

The man that Christ will find out at the last day, and 
condemn for want of a wedding garment, will be one that 
wants this frame of heart. The question will not then be, 
How much have you known, or professed, or talked ? but, 
How much have you loved, and where was your heart 1 
Christians, as you would have a proof of your title to glory, 
labor to get your hearts above. If sin and Satan keep not 
your affections from thence, they will never be able to 
keep away your persons. 

4. (2.) A heart in heaven, is the highest excellence of 
your Christian temper. As there is a common excellence 
by which Christians differ from the world ; so there is this 
peculiar dignity of spirit, by which the more excellent 
differ from the rest. As the noblest of creatures, so the 
noblest of Christians are they whose faces are set most 
direct for heaven. Such a heavenly saint, who had been 
wrapt up to God in his contemplations, and is newly come 
down from the views of Christ, what discoveries will he 
make of those superior regions ! how high and sacred is 
his discourse ! Enough to convince an understanding 
hearer, that he hath seen the Lord, and that no man 
could speak such words, except he had been with God. 
This, this is the noble Christian. The most famous 
mountains and trees are those that reach nearest to 
heaven ; and he is the choicest Christian, whose heart is 
most frequently and most delightfully there. If a man 
have lived near the king, or hath seen the sultan of Persia, 
or the great Turk, he will be thought a step higher than 
his neighbors. What then shall we judge of him that 
daily travels as far as heaven, and there hath seen the 
King of kings, hath frequent admittance into the divine 
presence, and feasteth his soul upon the tree of life? For 
my part, I value this man before the noblest, the richest, 
the most learned, in the world. 
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258 

5. (3.) A heavenly mind is the nearest and truest way 
to a life of comfort. The countries far north are cold and 
frozen, because they are distant from the sun. What 
makes such frozen uncomfortable Christians, but their 
living so far from heaven ? And what makes others so 
warm in comforts, but their living higher, and having 
nearer access to God 1 When the sun in the spring 
draws nearer to our part of the earth, how do all things 
congratulate its approach ! The earth looks green, the 
trees shoot forth, the plants revive, the birds sing, and all 
things smile upon us. If we would but try this life with 
God, and keep these hearts above, what a spring of joy 
would be within us ! How should we forget our winter 
sorrows ! How early should w T e rise to sing the praise of 
our great Creator ! O Christians, get above. Those that 
have been there, have found it warmer ; and I doubt not 
but thou hast sometime tried it thyself. When have you 
largest comforts 1 Is it not when thou hast conversed 
with God, and talked with the inhabitants of the higher 
world, and viewed their mansions, and filled thy soul with 
the forethoughts of glory ? If thou knowest by experience 
what this practice is, I dare say thou knowest what 
spiritual joy is. If, as David professes, " the light of 
God's countenance more gladdens the heart than corn and 
wine ; " then, surely, they that draw nearest and most 
behold it, must be fullest of these joys. Whom should we 
blame then, that we are so void of consolation, but our 
own negligent hearts ? God hath provided us a crown of 
glory, and promised to set it shortly on our heads, and we 
will not so much as think of it. He bids us behold and 
rejoice, and we w T ill not so much as look at it ; and yet 
we complain for want of comfort. It is by believing, that 
we are " filled with joy and peace," and no longer than 
we continue believing. It is in hope the saints rejoice, 
and no longer than they continue hoping. God's Spirit 



259 

wor-keth our comforts, by setting our own spirits on work 
upon the promises, and raising our thoughts to the place 
of our comforts. As you would delight a covetous man 
by showing him gold; so God delights his people by 
leading them, as it were, into heaven, and showing them 
himself, and their rest with him. He does not cast in 
our joys while we are idle, or take up with other things. 
He gives the fruits of the earth while we plough, and sow, 
and weed, and water, and dung, and dress, and with 
patience expect his blessing ; so doth he give the joys of 
the soul. I entreat thee, Reader, in the name of the 
Lord, and as thou valuest the life of constant joy, and that 
good conscience which is a continual feast, to set upon 
this work seriously, and learn the art of heavenly-mind- 
edness, and thou shalt find the increase a hundred fold, 
and the benefit abundantly exceed thy labor. But this is 
the misery of man's nature ; though every man naturally 
hates sorrow, and loves the most merry and joyful life, yet 
few love the way to joy, or will endure the pains by which 
it is to be obtained ; they will take the first that comes to 
liand, and content themselves with earthly pleasures, 
rather than they will ascend to heaven to seek it ; and 
yet when all is done, they must have it there, or be with- 
out it. 

6. (4.) A heart in heaven will be a most excellent 
preservative against temptations to sin. It will keep the 
heart well employed. When we are idle, we tempt the 
devil to tempt us ; as careless persons make thieves. A 
heart in heaven can reply to the tempter, as Nehemiah 
did, " I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come." 
It hath no leisure to be lustful or wanton, ambitious or 
worldly. If you were but busy in your lawful callings, 
you would not be so ready to hearken to temptations; 
much less if you were also busy above with God. Would 
a judge be persuaded to rise from the bench, when he is 



260 

sitting upon life and death, to go and play with children 
in the streets? No more will a Christian, when he is 
taking a survey of his eternal rest, give ear to the alluring 
charms of Satan. The children of that kingdom should 
never have times for trifles, especially when they are 
employed in the affairs of the kingdom ; and this em- 
ployment is one of the saints' chief preservatives from 
temptations. 

7. A heavenly mind is the freest from sin, because it 
hath truer and livelier apprehensions of spiritual things. 
He hath so deep an insight into the evil of sin, the vanity 
of the creature, the brutishness of fleshly sensual delights, 
that temptations have little power over him. " In vain 
the net is spread," says Solomon, " in the sight of any 
bird." And usually in vain doth Satan lay his snares to 
entrap the soul that plainly sees them. Earth is the place 
for his temptations, and the ordinary bait ; and how shall 
these insnare the Christian who hath left the earth, and 
walks with God 1 Is converse with wise and learned men 
the way to make one wise ? Much more is converse with 
God. If travellers return home with wisdom and ex- 
perience, how much more he that travels to heaven ? If 
our bodies are suited to the air and climate we most live 
in ; his understanding must be fuller of light, who lives 
with the Father of lights. The men of the world that 
dwell below and know no other conversation but earthly, 
no wonder if their understanding be darkened, and Satan 
" takes them captive at his will." How can worms and 
moles see, whose dwelling is always in the earth ? While 
this dust is in their eyes, no wonder they mistake gain for 
godliness, sin for grace, the world for God, their own wills 
for the law of Christ, and in the issue, hell for heaven. 
But when a Christian withdraws himself from his worldly 
thoughts, and begins to converse with God in heaven, 
methinks he is, as Nebuchadnezzar, taken from the 



261 

beasts of the field to the throne, and " his reason returned 
unto him." When he hath had a glimpse of eternity, and 
looks down on the world again, how doth he charge with 
folly his neglects of Christ, his fleshly pleasures, his 
earthly cares ! How doth he say to his laughter, it is 
mad ; and to his vain mirth, what doth it 1 How doth he 
verily think there is no man in bedlam so truly mad as 
wilful sinners, and unworthy slighters of Christ and glory ! 
This makes a dying man usually wiser than others, 
because he looks on eternity as near, and hath more 
heart-piercing thoughts of it, than he ever had in health 
and prosperity. Then many of the most bitter enemies 
of the saints have their eyes opened, and like Balaam, cry 
out, " O that I might die the death of the righteous, and 
that my last end might be like his ! " Yet let the same 
men recover, and lose their apprehensions of the life to 
come, and how quickly do they lose their understandings 
with it ! Tell a dying sinner of the riches, honors, or 
pleasures of the world, and w T ould he not answer, " What 
is all this to me, who must presently appear before God, 
and give an account of all my life ?" Christian, if the 
apprehended nearness of eternity will work such strange 
effects upon the ungodly, and make them so much wiser 
than before ; O what rare effects would it produce in 
thee, if thou couldst always dwell in the views of God, 
and in lively thoughts of thy everlasting state ! Surely a 
believer, if he improve his faith, may ordinarily have more 
quickening apprehensions of the life to come, in the time 
of his health, than an unbeliever hath at the hour of his 
death. 

8. A heavenly mind is also fortified against temptations, 

because the affections are thoroughly prepossessed with 

the high delights of another world. He that loves most, 

and not he that only knows most, will most easily resist 

23* 



262 

the emotions of sin. The will doth as sweetly relish 
goodness, as the understanding doth truth ; and here lies 
much of a Christian's strength. When thou hast had a 
fresh delightful taste of heaven, thou wilt not be so easily 
persuaded from it. You cannot persuade a child to part 
with his sweetmeats, while the taste is in his mouth. O 
that you would be much on feeding on the hidden manna, 
and frequently tasting the delights of heaven ! How 
would this confirm thy resolutions, and make thee 
despise the fooleries of the world, and scorn to be cheated 
with such childish toys. If the devil had set upon Peter 
in the mount of transfiguration, when he saw Moses and 
Elias talking with Christ, would he so easily have been 
drawn to deny his Lord % What ! with all that glory in 
his eye ? No. So, if he should set upon a believing soul, 
when he is taken up in the mount with Christ, what 
would such a soul say ? " Get thee behind me, Satan * 
wouldst thou persuade me hence, with trifling pleasures, 
and steal my heart from this my rest 1 Wouldst thou 
have me sell these joys for nothing ? Is any honor or 
delight like this 1 or can that be profit, for which I must 
lose this?" But Satan stays till we are come down, and 
the taste of heaven is out of our mouths, and the glory we 
saw is even forgotten, and then he easily deceives our 
hearts. Though the Israelites below, eat, and drink, and 
rise up to play before their idol, Moses in the mount will 
not do so. O if we could keep the taste of our souls 
continually delighted with the sweetness above, with what 
disdain should we spit out the baits of sin ! 

9. Besides, whilst the heart is set on heaven, a man is 
under God's protection. If Satan then assault us, God 
is more engaged for our defence, and will doubtless stand 
by us, and say, " My grace is sufficient for thee." When 
a man is in the way of God's blessing, he is in the less 
danger of sin's enticing. Amidst thy temptations, Christian 



263 

Reader, use much this powerful remedy — keep close with 
God by a heavenly mind ; follow your business above with 
Christ, and you will find this a surer help than any other. 
" The way of life is above to the wise, that he may 
depart from hell beneath." Remember that " Noah 
was a just man, and perfect in his generation ; " for he 
" walked with God : " and that God said unto Abraham, 
"Walk before me, and be thou perfect." 

10. (5.) The diligent keeping your hearts in heaven, 
will maintain the vigor of all your graces, and put life 
into all your duties. The heavenly Christian is the lively 
Christian. It is our strangeness to heaven that makes us 
so dull. How will the soldier hazard his life, and the 
mariner pass through storms and waves, and no difficulty 
keep them back, when they think of an uncertain per- 
ishing treasure ! What life then would it put into a 
Christian's endeavors, if he would frequently think of his 
everlasting treasure ! We run so slowly, and strive so 
lazily, because we so little mind the prize. Observe but 
the man who is much in heaven, and you shall see he is 
not like other Christians ; there is something of what he 
hath seen above, appeareth in all his duty and conversation. 
If a preacher, how heavenly are his sermons ! If a 
private Christian, what heavenly converse, prayers, and 
deportment ! Set upon this employment, and others will 
see the face of your conversation shine, and say, Surely 
he hath been " with God on the mount." But if you 
lie complaining of deadness and dullness, that you cannot 
love Christ, nor rejoice in his love ; that you have no 
life in prayer, nor any other duty, and yet neglect this 
quickening employment ; you are the cause of your own 
complaints. Is not thy life hid with Christ in God? 
Where must thou go, but to Christ for it ? And where 
is that but to heaven, where Christ is? "'Thou wilt not 
come to Christ, that thou inayest have life." If thou 



264 

wouldst have light and heat, why art thou no more in the 
sunshine 1 For want of this recourse to heaven, thy soul 
is as a lamp not lighted, and thy duties as a sacrifice 
without fire. Fetch one coal daily from this altar, and 
see if thy offering will not burn. Light thy lamp at this 
flame, and feed it daily with oil from hence, and see if it 
will not gloriously shine. Keep close to this reviving fire, 
and see if thy affections will not be warm. In thy want 
of love to God, lift up thy eye of faith to heaven, behold 
his beauty, contemplate his excellencies, and see whether 
his amiableness and perfect goodness will not ravish thy 
heart. As exercise gives appetite, strength, and vigor to 
the body ; so these heavenly exercises will quickly cause 
the increase of grace and spiritual life. Besides, it is not 
false or strange fire, which you fetch from heaven for 
your sacrifices. The zeal which is kindled by your 
meditations on heaven, is most likely to be a heavenly 
zeal. Some men's fervency is only drawn from their 
books, some from the sharpness of affliction, some from 
the mouth of a moving minister, and some from the 
attention of an auditory ; but he that knows this way to 
heaven, and derives it daily from the true fountain, shall 
have his soul revived with the water of life, and enjoy 
that quickening which is peculiar to the saints. " By this 
faith thou mayest offer Abel's sacrifice, more excellent 
than " that of common men, and " by it obtain witness that 
thou art righteous, God testifying of thy gifts " that they 
are sincere. When others are ready, like Baal's priests, 
to cut themselves, because their sacrifice will not burn ; 
thou mayest breathe the spirit of Elijah, and in the 
chariot of contemplation soar aloft, till thy soul and 
sacrifice gloriously flame, though the flesh and the world 
should cast upon them all the water of their opposing 
enmity. Say not, how can mortals ascend to heaven? 
Faith hath wings, and meditation is its chariot. Faith is 



265 

a burning-glass to thy sacrifice, and meditation sets it to 
the face of the sun : only take it not away too soon, but 
hold it there awhile, and thy soul will feel the happy 
effect. Reader, art thou not thinking, when thou seest a 
lively Christian, and nearest his lively fervent prayers, and 
edifying discourse, " O how happy a man is this ! O that 
my soul were in this blessed condition ! " Why, I here 
advise thee from God, set thy soul conscientiously to this 
work, wash thee frequently in this Jordan, and thy leprous 
dead soul will revive, " and thou shalt know that there is 
a God in Israel," and that thou mayest live a vigorous and 
joyful life, if thou dost not wilfully neglect thy own 
mercies. 

11. (6.) The frequent believing views of glory are the 
most precious cordials in all afflictions. These cordials, 
by cheering our spirits, render our sufferings far more 
easy, enable us to bear them with patience and joy, and 
so strengthen our resolutions, that we forsake not Christ 
for fear of trouble. If the way be ever so rough, can it 
be tedious if it lead to heaven ? O sweet sickness, 
reproaches, imprisonments, or death, accompanied with 
these tastes of our future rest ! This keeps the sufferings 
from the soul, so that it can only touch the flesh. Had it 
not been for that little (alas, too little) taste which I had 
of rest, my sufferings would have been grievous, and 
death more terrible. I may say, " I had fainted, unless I 
had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land 
of the living." Unless this promised rest had been my 
delight, I should then have perished in my affliction. 
" One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek 
after ; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the 
days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to 
inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall 
hide me in his pavilion : in the secret of his tabernacle 
Bhall he hide me ; he shall set me upon a rock. And 



266 

now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies 
round about me : therefore will I offer in his tabernacle 
sacrifices of joy ; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto 
the Lord." All sufferings are nothing to us, so far as we 
have these supporting joys. When persecution and fear 
hath shut the doors, Christ can come in, and stand in the 
midst, and say to his disciples, "Peace be unto you." Paul 
and Silas can be in heaven, even when they are thrust 
into the inner prison, their bodies scourged with " many 
stripes, and their feet fast in the stocks." The martyrs 
find more rest in their flames, than their persecutors in 
their pomp and tyranny ; because they foresee the flames 
they escape, and the rest which their fiery chariot is 
conveying them to. If the Son of God will walk with 
us, we are safe in the midst of those flames, which shall 
devour them that cast us in. " Abraham went out of his 
country, not knowing whither he went; because he 
looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder 
and Maker is God. Moses esteemed the reproach of 
Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt ; because 
he had respect unto the recompense of reward. He 
forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king ; because 
he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Others were 
tortured, not accepting deliverance ; that they might 
obtain a better resurrection. Even Jesus, the Author and 
Finisher of our faith, for the joy that was set before him, 
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down 
at the right hand of the throne of God." This is the 
noble advantage of faith ; it can look on the means and 
end together. This is the great reason of our impatience, 
and censuring of God, because we gaze on the evil itself, 
but fix not our thoughts on what is beyond it. They that 
saw Christ only on the cross, or in the grave, do shake 
their heads, and think him lost; but God saw him dying, 
buried, rising, glorified, and all this at one view. Faith 



267 

will in this imitate God, so far as it hath the glass of 
promise to help it. We see God burying us under ground, 
but we foresee not the spring, when we shall all revive. 
Could we but clearly see heaven, as the end of all God's 
dealings with us, surely none of his dealings could be 
grievous. If God would once raise us to this life, we should 
find, that though heaven and sin are at a great distance ; 
yet heaven and a prison, or banishment, heaven and the 
belly of a whale, or a den of lions, heaven and consuming 
sickness, or invading death, are at no such distance. But 
as "Abraham saw Christ's day and rejoiced ;" so we, in 
our most forlorn state, might see that day when Christ 
shall give us rest and therein rejoice. I beseech thee, 
Christian, for the honor of the gospel, and for thy soul's 
comfort, be not to learn this heavenly art, when in thy 
greatest extremity thou hast most need to use it. He that, 
with Stephen, " sees the glory of God, and Jesus standing 
on the right hand of God," will comfortably bear the 
shower of stones. " The joy of the Lord is our strength/' 
and that joy must be fetched from the place of our joy ; 
and if we walk without our strength, how long are we like 
to endure 1 

12. (7.) He that hath his conversation in heaven, is 
the profitable Christian to all about him. When a man 
is in a strange country, how glad is he of the company of 
one of his own nation ! How delightful is it to talk of 
their own country, their acquaintance, and affairs at home! 
With what pleasure did Joseph talk with his brethren, and 
inquire after his father and his brother Benjamin ! It is 
not so to a Christian, to talk with his brethren that have 
been above, and inquire after his Father, and Christ his 
Lord 1 When a worldly man will talk of nothing but the 
world, and a politician of state affairs, and a mere scholar 
of human learning, and a common professor of his duties ; 
the heavenly man will be speaking of heaven, and the 



268 

strange glory his faith hath seen, and our speedy and 
blessed meeting there. O how refreshing and useful are 
his expressions ! How his words pierce and melt the 
heart, and transform the hearers into other men ? How 
doth his doctrine drop as the rain, and his speech distill as 
the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as 
the showers upon the grass, while his lips publish the 
name of the Lord, and ascribe greatness unto his God ! 
Is not his sweet discourse of heaven like the " box of 
precious ointment," which, being "poured upon the head 
of Christ, filled the house with the odor ? " All that are 
near may be refreshed by it. Happy the people who have 
a heavenly minister ! Happy the children and servants 
that have a heavenly father or master ! Happy the man 
that hath a heavenly companion, who will watch over thy 
ways, strengthen thee when thou art weak, cheer thee 
when thou art drooping, and comfort thee with the comfort 
wherewith he himself hath been so often comforted of 
God ! This is he that will always be blowing at the 
spark of thy spiritual life, and drawing thy soul to God, 
and will say to thee as the Samaritan woman, "Come, 
and see one that hath told me all that ever I did ; " one 
that hath loved our souls to the death. " Is not this the 
Christ ? " Is not the " knowledge of God and him eternal 
life?" Is it not the glory of the saints to see his glory? 
Come to this man's house, and sit at his table, and he 
will feast thy soul with the dainties of heaven ; travel with 
him by the way, and he will direct and quicken thee in 
thy journey to heaven ; trade with him in the world, and 
he will counsel thee to buy the pearl of great price. If 
thou wrong him he can pardon thee, remembering that 
Christ hath pardoned his great offences. If thou be 
angry, he is meek, considering the meekness of his 
heavenly Pattern ; or, if he fall out with you, he is soon 
reconciled, when he recollects that in heaven you must be 



269 

everlasting friends. This is the Christian of the right 
stamp, and all about him are better for him. How un- 
profitable is the society of all other sorts of Christians, 
in comparison with this ! If a man should come from 
heaven, how would men long to hear what reports he 
would make of the other world, and what he had seen, 
and what the blessed there enjoy ! Would they not think 
this man the best companion, and his discourses the most 
profitable 1 Why then do you value the company of saints 
no more, and inquire no more of them, and relish their 
discourse no better ! For every saint shall go to heaven 
in person, and is frequently there in spirit, and hath often 
viewed it in the glass of the gospel. For my part, I had 
rather have the company of a heavenly-minded Christian, 
than of the most learned disputants or princely com- 
manders. 

13. (8.) No man so highly honoreth God, as he whose 
conversation is in heaven. Is not a parent disgraced, 
when his children feed on husks, are clothed in rags, and 
keep company with none but rogues and beggars ? Is it 
not so to our heavenly Father, when we, who call our- 
selves his children, feed on earth, and the garb of our 
souls is like that of the naked world ; and our hearts 
familiarly converse with, and " cleave to the dust," rather 
than stand continually in our Father's presence ? Surely 
we live below the children of the King, not according to 
the height of our hopes, nor the provision of our Father's 
house, and the great preparations made for his saints. It 
is well we have a Father of tender bowels, who will own 
his children in rags. If he did not first challenge his 
interest in us, neither ourselves nor others could know us 
to be his people. But when a Christian can live above, 
and rejoice his soul with the things that are unseen, how 
is God honored by such a one ! The Lord will testify for 
24 



270 

him, This man believes me, and takes me at my word ; 
he rejoiceth in my promise, before he hath possession ; he 
can be thankful for what his bodily eyes never saw ; his 
rejoicing is not in the flesh ; his heart is with me ; he 
loves my presence ; and he shall surely enjoy it in my 
kingdom for ever. " Blessed are they that have not seen, 
and yet have believed. Them that honor me, I will 
honor." How did God esteem himself honored by Caleb 
and Joshua, when they went into the promised land, and 
brought back to their brethren a taste of the fruits, and 
spake well of the good land, and encouraged the people 1 
What a promise and recompense did they receive ! 

14. (9.) A soul that doth not set its affections on things 
above, disobeys the commands, and loses the most gracious 
and delightful discoveries of the word of God. The same 
God hath commanded thee to believe, and to be a Chris- 
tian, hath commanded thee to " seek those things which 
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, 
and to set your affections on things above, not on things 
on the earth." The same God that hath forbidden thee 
to murder, steal, or commit adultery, hath forbidden thee 
the neglect of this great duty : and darest thou wilfully 
disobey him ? Why not make conscience of one, as well 
as the other ? He hath made it thy duty, as well as the 
means of thy comfort, that a double bond may engage 
thee not to forsake thy own mercies. Besides, what are 
all the most glorious descriptions of heaven, all those 
discoveries of our future blessedness, and precious prom- 
ises of our rest, but lost to thee 1 Are not these the stars 
in the firmament of Scripture, and the golden lines in that 
book of God ? Methinks thou shouldst not part with one 
of these promises, no, not for a world. As heaven is the 
perfection of all our mercies, so the promises of it in the 
gospel are the very soul of the gospel. Is a comfortable 
word from the mouth of God of such worth, that all the 



271 

comforts in the world are nothing to it ? And dost thou 
neglect and overlook so many of them ? Why should 
God reveal so much of his counsel, and tell us beforehand 
of the joys we shall possess, but to make us know it for 
our joy 1 . If it had not been to fill us with the delights of 
our foreknown blessedness, he might have kept his 
purpose to himself, and never have let us known it till we 
came to enjoy it. Yea, when we had got possession of 
our rest, he might still have concealed its eternity from 
us, and then the fears of losing it would have diminished 
the sweetness of our joys. But it hath pleased our Father 
to open his counsel, and_ let us know the very intent of 
his heart, that our joy might be full, and that we might 
live as the heirs of such a kingdom. And shall we now 
overlook all? Shall we live in earthly cares and sorrows, 
and rejoice no more in these discoveries, than if the Lord 
had never wrote them? If thy prince had but sealed thee 
a patent of some lordship, how oft wouldst thou cast thy 
eyes upon it, and make it thy delightful study, till thou 
shouldst come to possess the dignity itself! And hath 
God sealed thee a patent of heaven, and dost thou let it 
lie by thee, as if thou hadst forgot it ? O that our hearts 
were as high as oar hopes, and our hopes as high as these 
infallible promises ! 

15. (10.) It is but just that our hearts should be "on 
God, when the heart of God is so much on us. If the 
Lord of glory can stoop so low, as to set his heart on 
sinful dust, methinks we should easily be persuaded to set 
our hearts on Christ and glory, and ascend to him, in our 
daily affections, who so much condescends to us. Chris- 
tian, dost thou not perceive that the heart of God is set 
upon thee, and that he is still minding thee with tender 
love, even when thou forgettest both thyself and him ? Is 
he not following thee with daily mercies, moving upon thy 
.soul, providing for thy body, preserving both ? Doth he 



272 

not bear thee continually in the arms of love, and promise 
that " all shall work together for thy good," and suit all 
his dealings to thy greatest advantage, and give his angels 
charge over thee ? And canst thou be taken up with the 
joys below, and forget thy Lord, who forgets not thee ? 
Unkind ingratitude ! When he speaks of his own kind- 
ness for us, hear what he says — " Zion said, The Lord 
hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can 
a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not 
have compassion on the son of her womb ? Yea, she may 
forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven 
thee upon the palms of my hands : thy walls are continu- 
ally before me." But when he speaks of our regards to 
him, the case is otherwise. " Can a maid forget her 
ornaments, or a bride her attire ? yet my people have 
forgotten me days without number." As if he should 
say, " You will not rise one morning, but you will re- 
member to cover your nakedness, nor forget your vanity 
of dress ; and are these of more worth than your God ; of 
more importance than your eternal life ? And yet you 
can forget these day after day." Give not God cause 
thus to expostulate with us. Rather let our souls get up 
to God, and visit him every morning, and our hearts be 
towards him every moment. 

16. (11.) Should not our interest in heaven, and our 
relation to it, continually keep our hearts upon it? There 
our Father keeps his court. We call him, " Our Father, 
who art in heaven." Unworthy children ! that can be so 
taken up in their play, as to be mindless of such a Father. 
There also is Christ our head, our husband, our life ; and 
shall we not look towards him, and send to him as oft as 
we can, till we come to see him face to face? Since 
" the heavens must receive him until the times of resti- 
tution of all things ; " let them also receive our hearts 
with him. There also is New Jerusalem, " which is the 



273 

mother of us all." And there are multitudes of our elder 
brethren. There are our friends and old acquaintance, 
whose society in the flesh we so much delighted in, and 
whose departure hence we so much lamented ; and is this 
no attractive to thy thoughts ? If they were within thy 
reach on earth, thou wouldst go and visit them, and why 
not oftener visit them in spirit, and rejoice beforehand to 
think of meeting them there? "Socrates rejoiced that 
he should die, because he believed he should see Homer, 
Hesiod, and other eminent persons. How much more do 
I rejoice, said a pious old minister, who am sure to see 
Christ my Saviour, the eternal Son of God, in his assumed 
flesh; besides so many wise, holy, and renowned pa- 
triarchs, prophets, apostles," &c. A believer should look 
to heaven, and contemplate the blessed state of the saints, 
and think with himself, " Though I am not yet so happy 
as to be with you, yet this is my daily comfort, you are 
my brethren and fellow-members in Christ, and therefore 
your joys are my joys, and your glory, by this near re- 
lation, is my glory ; especially while I believe in the same 
Christ, and hold fast the same faith and obedience, by 
which you were thus dignified, and rejoice in spirit with 
you, and congratulate your happiness in my daily medi- 
tations." 

17. Moreover, our house and home is above. " For 
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were 
dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens." Why do we then 
look no oftener towards it, and " groan earnestly, desiring 
to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven?" 
If our home were far meaner, sure we should remember 
it, because it is our home. If you were but banished 
into a strange land, how frequently would your thoughts 
be at home. And why is it not thus with us in respect of 
24* 



274 

heaven ? Is not that more truly and properly our home, 
where we must take up our everlasting abode, than this, 
which we are every hour expecting to be separated from, 
and to see no more 1 We are strangers, and that is our 
country. We are heirs, and that is our inheritance ; even 
" an inheritance incorruptible, undented, and that fadeth 
not away, reserved in heaven for us." We are here in 
continual distress and want, and there lies our substance : 
even " a better and an enduring substance." Yea, the 
very hope of our souls is there ; all our hope of relief from 
our distresses ; all our hope of happiness, when here we 
are miserable : all this " hope is laid up for us in heaven." 
Why, beloved Christians, have we so much interest, and 
so few thoughts there ? So near relation, and so little 
affection ? Doth it become us to be delighted in the 
company of strangers, so as to forget our Father and our 
Lord 1 or to be so well pleased with those that hate and 
grieve us, as to forget our best and dearest friends ; or to 
be so fond of borrowed trifles, as to forget our own 
possession and treasure 1 or to be so much impressed with 
cares and wants, as to forget our eternal joy and rest? 
God usually pleads his property in us ; and thence con- 
cludes he will do us good, even because we are his own 
people, whom he hath chosen out of all the world. Why 
then do we not plead our interest in him, and so raise our 
hearts above ; even because he is our own God, and 
because the place is our own possession ? Men commonly 
overlove and overvalue their own things, and mind them 
too much. O that we could mind our own inheritance, 
and value it half as much as it deserves ! 

11. (12.) Once more consider, there is nothing but 
heaven worth setting our hearts upon. If God have them 
not, who shall ? If thou mind not thy rest, what wilt thou 
mind 1 Hast thou found out some other god ? or some- 
thing that will serve thee instead of rest ? Hast thou 



275 

found on earth an eternal happiness? Where is it? 
What is it made of? Who was the man that found it 
out ? Who was he that last enjoyed it ? Where dwelt 
he? W T hat was his name? Or art thou the first that 
ever discovered heaven on earth ? Ah, wretch ! trust not 
to thy discoveries, boast not of thy gain till experience 
bid thee boast. Disquiet not thyself in looking for that 
which is not on earth ; lest thou learn thy experience with 
the loss of thy soul, which thou mightest have learned on 
easier terms ; even by the warnings of God in his word, 
and the loss of thousands of souls before thee. If Satan 
should " take thee up to the mountain of temptation, and 
show thee all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of 
them ; " he could show thee nothing that is worthy thy 
thoughts, much less to be preferred, before thy rest. In- 
deed, so far as duty and necessity require it, we must be 
content to mind the things below ; but who is he that 
contains himself within the compass of those limits? 
And yet if we ever so diligently contract our cares and 
thoughts, we shall find the least to be bitter and burden- 
some. Christians, see the emptiness of all these things, 
and the preciousness of the things above. If thy thoughts, 
should, like the laborious bee, go over the world from 
flower to flower, from creature to creature, they would 
bring no honey or sweetness home, save what they gathered 
from their relations to eternity. Though every truth of 
God is precious, and ought to be defended ; yet even all 
our study of truth should be still in reference to our rest ; 
for the observation is too true, " that the lovers of contro- 
versies in religion have never been warmed with one 
spark of the love of God." And as for minding the 
" affairs of church and state ; " so far as they illustrate 
the providence of God, and tend to the settling of the 
gospel, and the government of Christ, and consequently 
to the saving our own souls, and those of our posterity, 



276 

they are well worth our diligent observation ; but these 
are only their relations to eternity. Even all our dealings 
in the world, our buying and selling, or eating and drink- 
ing, our building and marrying, our peace and war, so 
far as they relate not to the life to come, but tend only to 
the pleasing of the flesh, are not worthy the frequent 
thoughts of a Christian. And now doth not thy conscience 
say, that there is nothing but heaven and the way to it, 
that is worth thy minding ? 

19. Now, Reader, are these considerations weighty, or 
not ? Have I proved it thy duty to keep thy heart on 
things above, or have I not ? If thou say, " Not," I am 
confident thou contradictest thy own conscience. If thou 
acknowledge thyself convinced of the duty, that very 
tongue of thine shall condemn thee, and that confession 
be pleaded against thee, if thou wilfully neglect such a 
confessed duty. Be thoroughly willing, and the work is 
more than half done. I have now a few plain directions 
to give you for your help in this great work ; but, alas ! it 
is in vain to mention them, except you be willing to put 
them into practice. However, I will propose them to 
thee, and may the Lord persuade thy heart to the work ! 



277 



CHAPTER XII. 

Directions how to lead a heavenly Life upon Earth. 

Sect. 1. (I.) Hinderances to a heavenly life must be avoided ; such 
as, 2. (1.) Living in any known sin; 3. (2.) an earthly mind ; 
4. (3.) ungodly companions ; 5. (4.) a notional religion ; 6. (5.) 
a haughty spirit; 7. (6.) a slothful spirit; 8. (7.) resting in 
preparatives for a heavenly life, without the thing itself. 9. (II.) 
The duties which will promote a heavenly life are these : 10. (1.) 
Be convinced that heaven is the only treasure and happiness ; 11, 
12. (2.) Labor to know your interest in it; 13. (3.) and how 
near it is ; 14. (4.) frequently and seriously talk of it; 15. (5.) 
endeavor in every duty to raise your affections nearer to it ; 16. 
(6.) to the same purpose improve every object and event ; 17, 
18. (7.) be much in the angelical work of praise ; 19. (8.) possess 
your souls with believing thoughts of the infinite love of God; 
20. (9.) carefully observe and cherish the motions of the Spirit of 
God ; 21. (10.) nor even neglect the due care of your bodily 
health. 

1. (I.) As thou valuest the comforts of a heavenly 
conversation, I must here charge thee from God, to avoid 
carefully some dangerous hinderances ; and then faithfully 
and diligently to practise such duties as will especially 
assist thee in attaining to a heavenly life. And, (1.) the 
hinderances to be avoided with all possible care, are — 
living in any known sin — an earthly mind — the company 
of the ungodly — notional religion — a proud and lofty 
spirit — a slothful spirit — and resting in mere preparations 
for this heavenly life, without any acquaintance with the 
thing itself. 

2. (1.) Living in any known sin is a grand impediment 
to a heavenly conversation. What havoc will this make 



278 

in thy soul ! O the joys that this hath destroyed ! The 
ruin it hath made amongst men's graces ! The soul- 
strengthening duties it hath hindered ! Christian Reader, 
art thou one that hast used violence with thy conscience ? 
Art thou a wilful neglecter of known duties, either public, 
private, or secret? Art thou a slave to thine appetite, or 
to any other commanding sense? Art thou a proud 
seeker of thine own esteem ? Art thou a peevish and 
passionate person, ready to take fire at every word, or 
look, or supposed slight ? Art thou a deceiver of others 
in thy dealings, or one that will be rich, right or wrong ? 
If this be thy case, I dare say, heaven and thy soul are 
very great strangers. These beams in thine eyes will not 
suffer thee to look to heaven ; they will be a cloud 
between thee and thy God. When thou dost but attempt 
to study eternity, and gather comforts from the life to 
come, thy sin will presently look thee in the face, and say, 
" These things belong not to thee. How shouldst thou 
take comfort from heaven, who takest so much pleasure 
in the lusts of the flesh?" How will this damp thy joys, 
and make the thoughts of that day and state become thy 
trouble, and not thy delight! Every wilful sin will be to 
thy comforts, as water to the fire ; when thou thinkest to 
quicken them, this will quench them. It will utterly 
indispose and disable thee, that thou canst no more ascend 
in divine meditation, than a bird can fly when its wings 
are clipped. Sin cuts the very sinews of this heavenly 
life. O man ! what a life dost thou lose ! What daily 
delights dost thou sell for a vile lust ! If heaven and hell 
can meet together, and God become a lover of sin, then 
mayest thou live in thy sin, and in the tastes of glory ; 
and have a conversation in heaven, though thou cherish 
thy corruption. And take heed, lest it banish thee from 
heaven, as it does thy heart. And though thou be not 
guilty, and knowest no reigning sin in thy soul, think 



279 

what a sad thing it would be, if ever this should prove 
thy case. Watch, therefore ; especially resolve to keep 
from the occasions of sin, and out of the way of tempta- 
tions. What need have we daily to pray, "Lead us not 
into temptation, but deliver us from evil!" 

3. (2.) An earthly mind is another hinder ance carefully 
to be avoided. God and mammon, earth and heaven, 
cannot both have the delight of thy heart. When the 
heavenly believer is blessing himself in his God, and 
rejoicing in hope of the glory to come ; perhaps thou art 
blessing thyself in thy worldly prosperity, and rejoicing 
in hope of thy thriving here. When he is comforting his 
soul in the views of Christ, of angels, and saints, whom 
he shall live with for ever ; then thou art comforting 
thyself with thy wealth, in looking over thy bills and 
bonds, thy goods and cattle, or thy buildings, and in 
thinking of the favor of the great, of the pleasure of a 
plentiful estate, of larger provision for thy children after 
thee, of the advancement of thy family, or the increase 
of thy dependents. If Christ pronounced him a fool, that 
said, " Soul, take thy ease, thou hast enough laid up for 
many years ; how much more so art thou, who knowingly 
speakest in thy heart the same words ! Tell me, what 
difference between- this fool's expressions, and thy affec- 
tions ? Remember, thou hast to do with the Searcher of 
hearts. Certainly, so much as thou delightest, and takest 
up thy rest on earth, so much of thy delight in God is 
abated. Thine earthly mind may consist with thy outward 
profession and common duties ; but it cannot consist with 
this heavenly duty. Thou thyself knowest how seldom 
and cold, how cursory and reserved thy thoughts have 
been of the joys above, ever since thou didst trade so 
eagerly for the world. O the cursed madness of many 
that seem to be religious ! They thrust themselves into a 
multitude of employments, till they are so loaded with 



280 

labors, and clogged with cares, that their souls are as 
unfit to converse with God, as a man to walk with a 
mountain on his back, and as unapt to soar in meditation, 
as their bodies to leap above the sun ! And when they 
have lost that heaven upon earth, which they might have 
had, they take up with a few rotten arguments to prove it 
lawful; though, indeed, they cannot. I advise thee, 
Christian, who hast tasted the pleasures of a heavenly 
life, as ever thou wouldst taste of them any more, avoid 
this devouring gulf of an earthly mind. If once thou 
come to this, that thou wilt be rich, thou "fallest into 
temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful 
lusts." Keep these things loose about thee, like thy upper 
garments, that thou mavest lay them by whenever there is 
need ; but let God and glory be next thy heart. Ever 
remember, " that the friendship of the world is enmity 
with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the 
world, is the enemy of God." "Love not the world, 
neither the things that are in the world. If any man 
love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 
This is plain dealing, and happy he that faithfully re- 
ceives it. 

4. (3.) Beware of the company of the ungodly. Not 
that I would dissuade thee from necessary converse, or 
from doing them any office of love ; especially, not from 
endeavoring the good of their souls, as long as thou hast 
any opportunity or hope : nor would I have thee to con- 
clude them to be dogs and swine, in order to invade the 
duty of reproof: nor even to judge them such at all, as 
long as there is any hope for the better : much less can I 
approve of their practice, who conclude them dogs or 
swine, before ever they faithfully and lovingly admonish 
them, or perhaps before they have known them, or spoke 
with them. But it is the unnecessary society of ungodly 
men, and too much familiarity with unprofitable com- 



281 

panions, that I dissuade you from. Not only the open 
profane, the swearer, the drunkard, and the enemies of 
godliness, will prove hurtful companions to us, though 
these indeed are chiefly to be avoided ; but to frequent 
society with persons merely civil and moral, whose 
conversation is empty and unedifying, may much divert 
our thoughts from heaven. Our backwardness is such, 
that we need the most constant and powerful helps. A 
stone, or a clod, is as fit to rise and fly in the air, as our 
hearts are naturally to move toward heaven. You need 
not hinder the rocks from flying up to the sky ; it is 
sufficient that you do not help them : and surely if our 
spirits have not great assistance, they may easily be kept 
from soaring upward, though they should never meet with 
the least impediment. O think of this in the choice of thy 
company ! When your spirits are so disposed for heaven, 
that you need no help to lift them up, but, as flames, you 
are always mounting, and carrying with you all that is in 
your way, then indeed you may be less careful of your 
company : but till then, as you love the delights of a 
heavenly life, be careful herein. What will it advantage 
thee in a divine life to hear how the market goes, or what 
the weather is, or is like to be, or what news is stirring? 
This is the discourse of earthly men. What will it con- 
duce to the raising thy heart God-ward, to hear that this 
is an able minister, or that an eminent Christian, or this 
an excellent sermon, or that an excellent book, or to hear 
some difficult, but unimportant controversy ? Yet this, 
for the most part, is the sweetest discourse thou art like 
to have from a formal, speculative, dead-hearted professor. 
Nay, if thou hadst been newly warming thy heart in the 
contemplation of the blessed joys above, would not this 
discourse benumb thy affections, and quickly freeze thy 
heart again 1 I appeal to the judgment of any man that 
25 



2»2 

hath tried it, and maketh observations on the frame of his 
spirit. Men cannot well talk of one thing, and mind 
another, especially things of such different natures. You, 
young men, who are most liable to this temptation, think 
seriously of what I say : can you have your hearts in 
heaven among your roaring companions in an alehouse or 
tavern ? or when you work in your shops with those whose 
common language is oaths, i- filthiness, or foolish talking, 
or jesting; I '' Nay, let me tell you, if you choose such com- 
pany when you might have better, and find most delight 
in such, you are so far from a heavenly conversation, that 
as yet you have no title to heaven at all, and in that state 
shall never come there. If your treasure was there, your 
heart could not be on things so distant. In a word, our 
company will be a part of our happiness in heaven, and it 
is a singular part of our furtherance to it, or hinderance 
from it. 

5. (4.) Avoid frequent disputes about lesser truths, and 
a religion that lies only in opinions. They are usually 
least acquainted with a heavenly life, who are violent dis- 
puters about the circumstantials of religion. He whose 
religion is all in his opinions, will be most frequently and 
zealously speaking his opinions ; and he whose religion 
lies in the knowledge and love of God and Christ, will be 
most delightfully speaking of that happy time when he 
shall enjoy them. He is a rare and precious Christian, 
who is skilful to improve well-known truths. Therefore 
let me advise you who aspire after a heavenly life, not to 
spend too much of your thoughts, your time, your zeal, 
or your speech, upon disputes that less concern your souls: 
but when hypocrites are feeding on husks or shells, do 
you feed on the joys above. I wish you were able to 
defend every truth of God, and to this end would read and 
study; but still I would have the chief truths to be chierly 
studied, and none to cast out your thoughts of eternity. 



283 

The least controverted points are usually most weighty, 
and of most necessary, frequent use to our souls. There- 
fore study well such Scripture precepts as these : " Him 
that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful 
disputations. Foolish and unlearned questions avoid ; 
knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of 
the Lord must not strive." " Avoid foolish questions, and 
genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law ; 
for they are unprofitable and vain." " If any man teach 
otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the 
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which 
is according to godliness ; he is proud, knowing nothing, 
but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof 
cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse dis- 
putings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the 
truth, supposing that gain is godliness : from such with- 
draw thyself." 

6. (5.) Take heed of a proud and lofty spirit. There 
is such an antipathy between this sin and God, that thou 
wilt never get thy heart near him, nor get him near thy 
heart, as long as this prevaileth in it. If it cast the angels 
out of heaven, it must needs keep thy heart from heaven. 
If it cast our first parents out of paradise, and separated 
between the Lord and us, and brought his curse on all the 
creatures here below, it will certainly keep our hearts from 
paradise, and increase the cursed separation from our God. 
Intercourse with God will keep men low, and that lowli- 
ness will promote their intercourse. When a man is used 
to be much with God, and taken up in the study of his 
glorious attributes, he abhors himself in dust and ashes ; 
and that self-abhorrence is his best preparative to obtain 
admittance to God again. Therefore, after a soul-hum- 
bling day, or in times of trouble, when the soul is lowest, 
it useth to have freest access to God, and savor most of 
the life above. The delight of God is in " him that is 



284 

poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at his word ; " 
and the delight of such a soul is in God; and where 
there is mutual delight, there will be freest admittance, 
heartiest welcome, and most frequent converse. But God 
is so far from dwelling in the soul that is proud, that he 
will not admit it to any near access : " The proud he 
knoweth afar off" — " God resisteth the proud and giveth 
grace to the humble." A proud mind is high in conceit, 
self-esteem, and carnal aspiring ; a humble mind is high, 
indeed, in God's esteem, and in holy aspiring. These 
two sorts of high-mindedness are most of all opposite to 
each other, as we see most wars are between princes and 
princes, and not between a prince and a ploughman. 
Well then, art thou a man of worth in thy own eyes ? 
Art thou delighted when thou hearest of thy esteem with 
men, and much dejected when thou hearest that they 
slight thee ? Dost thou love those best that honor thee, 
and think meanly of them that do not, though they be 
otherwise men of godliness and honesty ? Must thou have 
thy humors fulfilled, and thy judgment be a rule, and thy 
word a law to all about thee 1 Are thy passions kindled, 
if thy word or will be crossed? Art thou ready to judge 
humility to be sordid baseness, and knowest not how to 
submit to humble confession, when thou hast sinned 
against God, or injured thy brother ? Art thou one that 
lookest strange at the godly poor, and art almost ashamed 
to be their companion 1 Canst thou not serve God in a 
low place as well as a high ? Are thy boastings restrained 
more by prudence or artifice than humility 1 Dost thou 
desire to have all men's eyes upon thee, and to hear them 
say " This is he ? " Art thou unacquainted with the de- 
ceitfulness and wickedness of thy heart 1 Art thou more 
ready to defend thy innocence, than accuse thyself or con- 
fess thy fault ? Canst thou hardly bear a close reproof, 
or digest plain dealing ? If these symptoms be undeniably 



285 

in thy heart, thou art a proud person. There is too much 
of hell abiding in thee, to have any acquaintance with 
heaven ; thy soul is too like the devil, to have any famil- 
iarity with God. A proud man makes himself his god, 
and sets up himself as his idol : how then can his affec- 
tions be set on God 1 How can he possibly have his heart 
in heaven ? Invention and memory may possibly furnish 
his tongue with humble and heavenly expressions, but in 
his spirit there is no more heaven than there is humility. 
I speak the more of it, because it is the most common and 
dangerous sin in morality, and most promotes the great 
sin of infidelity. O Christian ! if thou wouldst live con- 
tinually in the presence of thy Lord, lie in the dust, and 
he will thence take thee up. " Learn of him to be meek 
and lowly, and thou shalt find rest unto thy soul." Other- 
wise thy soul will be " like the troubled sea, when it can- 
not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt ; " and instead 
of these sweet delights in God, thy pride will fill thee with 
perpetual disquiet. As he that humbleth himself as a 
little child, shall hereafter be greatest in the kingdom of 
heaven ; so shall he now be greatest in the foretastes of 
that kingdom. God " dwells with a contrite and humble 
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the 
heart of the contrite ones." Therefore " humble your- 
selves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." 
And when others are cast down, " then thou shalt say, 
there is lifting up ; and he shall save the humble person." 
7. (6.) A slothful spirit is another impediment to this 
heavenlylife. And I verily think, there is nothing hinders 
it more than this in men of a good understanding. If it 
were only the exercise of the body, the moving of the lips, 
the bending of the knee, men would as commonly step to 
heaven, as they go to visit a friend. But to separate our 
thoughts and affections from the world, to draw forth all 
25* 



286 

our graces, and increase each in its proper object, and 
hold them to it till the work prospers in our hands ; this, 
this is the difficulty. Reader, heaven is above thee, and 
dost thou think to travel this steep ascent without labor 
and resolution ? Canst thou get that earthly heart to 
heaven, and bring that backward mind to God, while thou 
liest still, and takest thine ease ? If lying down at the 
foot of the hill, and looking toward the top, and wishing 
we were there, would serve the turn, then we should have 
daily travellers for heaven. But " the kingdom of heaven 
suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." 
There must be violence used to get these first-fruits, as 
well as to get the full possession. Dost thou not feel it so, 
though I should not tell thee I Will thy heart get up- 
wards, except thou drive it ? Thou knowest that heaven 
is all thy hope, that nothing below can yield thee rest ; 
that a heart, seldom thinking of heaven, can fetch but 
little comfort thence ; and yet dost thou not lose thy 
opportunities, and lie below, when thou shouldst walk 
above, and live with God? Dost thou not commend the 
sweetness of a heavenly life, and judge those the best 
Christians that use it, and yet never try it thyself? As 
the sluggard that stretches himself on his bed, and cries, 
O that this were working ! so dost thou talk, and trifle, 
and live at thy ease, and say, O that I could get my heart 
to heaven ! How many read books, and hear sermons, 
expecting to hear of some easier way, or to meet with a 
shorter course to comfort, than they are ever like to find 
in Scripture. Or they ask for directions for a heavenly 
life, and if the hearing them will serve, they will be 
heavenly Christians ; but if we show them their work, and 
tell them they cannot have these delights on easier terms, 
then they leave us, as the young man left Christ, sorrow- 
ful. If thou art convinced, Reader, that this work is 
necessary to thy comfort, set upon it resolutely : if thy 



287 

heart draw back, force it on with the command of reason ; 
if thy reason begin to dispute, produce the command of 
God, and urge thy own necessity, with the other consid- 
erations suggested in the former chapter. Let not such an 
incomparable treasure lie before thee, with thy hand in thy 
bosom ; nor thy life be a continual vexation, when it might 
be a continual feast, only because thou wilt not exert thy- 
self. Sit not still with a disconsolate spirit, while comforts 
grow before thine eyes, like a man in the midst of a gar- 
den of flowers, that will not rise to get them, and partake of 
their sweetness. This I know, Christ is the fountain ; but 
the well is deep, and thou must get forth this water before 
thou canst be refreshed with it. I know, so far as thou 
art spiritual, you need not all this striving and violence ; 
but in part you are carnal, and as long as it is so, there is 
need of labor. It was a custom of the Parthians, not to 
give their children any meat in the morning, before they 
saw the sweat on their faces with some labor. And you 
shall find this to be God's usual course, not to give his 
children the tastes of his delights till they begin to sweat 
in seeking after them. Judge therefore whether a heav- 
enly life, or thy carnal ease be better ; and as a wise man, 
make thy choice accordingly. Yea, let me add for thy 
encouragement, Thou needest not employ thy thoughts 
more than thou now dost ; it is only to fix them upon 
better and more pleasant objects. Employ but as many- 
serious thoughts every day upon the excellent glory of the 
life to come, as thou now dost upon worldly affairs, yea, 
on vanities and impertinences, and thy heart will soon be 
at heaven. On the whole, it is " the field of the slothful, 
that is all grown over with thorns and nettles ; and the 
desire of the slothful killeth his joy, for his hands refuse 
to labor ; and it is the slothful man that saith, there is a 
lion in the way, a lion is in the streets. As the door 
turneth upon its hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. 



The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom ; it grieveth 
him to bring it again to his mouth," though it be to feed 
himself with the bread of life. What is this but throwing 
away our consolations, and consequently the precious blood 
that bought them 1 For " he that is slothful in his work 
is brother to him that is a great waster." Apply this to 
thy spiritual work, and study well the meaning of it. 

8. (7.) Contentment with the mere preparatives to this 
heavenly life, while we are utter strangers to the life itself, 
is also a dangerous and secret hinderance. When we take 
up with the mere study of heavenly things, and the notions 
of them, or the talking with one about them ; as if this 
were enough to make us heavenly. None are in more 
danger of this snare, than those that are employed in 
leading the devotions of others, especially preachers of 
the gospel. O how easily may such be deceived ! While 
they do nothing so much as read and study of heaven ; 
preach, and pray, and talk of heaven ; is not this the 
heavenly life ? Alas ! all this is but mere preparation : 
this is but collecting the materials, not erecting the build- 
ing itself : it is but gathering the manna for others, and 
not eating and digesting it ourselves. As he that sits at 
home may draw exact maps of countries, and yet never 
see them, nor travel toward them ; so may you describe 
to others the joys of heaven, and yet never come near it 
in your own hearts. A blind man, by learning, may 
dispute of light and colors ; so may you set forth to others 
that heavenly light, which never enlightened your own 
souls, and bring that fire from the hearts of your people, 
which never warmed your own hearts. What heavenly 
passages had Balaam in his prophecies, yet how little of 
it in his spirit! Nay, we are under a more subtle 
temptation, than any other men, to draw us from this 
heavenly life. Studying and preaching of heaven more 
resembles a heavenly life, than thinking and talking of 



289 

the world does ; and the resemblance is apt to deceive us. 
This is to die the most miserable death, even to famish 
ourselves, because we have bread on our tables ; and to 
die for thirst, while we draw water for others, thinking it 
enough that we have daily to do with it, though we never 
drink for the refreshment of our own souls. 

9. (II.) Having thus showed thee what hinderances 
will resist thee in the work, I expect that thou resolve 
against them, consider them seriously, and avoid them 
faithfully, or else thy labor will be in vain. I must also 
tell thee, that I here expect thy promise, as thou valuest 
the delights of these foretastes of heaven, to make con- 
science of performing the following duties ; the reading 
of which, without their constant practice, will not bring 
heaven unto thy heart. Particularly, be convinced that 
heaven is the only treasure and happiness ;— labor to 
know that it is thy own, — and how near it is ; — frequently 
and seriously talk of it ; — endeavor to raise thy affections 
nearer to it in every duty ; — to the same purpose improve 
every object and event ; — be much in the angelical work 
of praise ; — possess thy soul with believing thoughts of the 
infinite love of God ; — carefully observe and cherish the 
motions of the Spirit of God ; — nor even neglect the due 
care of thy bodily health. 

10. (1.) Be convinced that heaven is the only treasure 
and happiness, and labor to know what a treasure and 
happiness it is. If thou do not believe it to be the chief 
good, thou wilt never set thy heart upon it ; and this 
conviction must sink into thy affections ; for if it be only 
a notion it will have little efficacy. If Eve once supposes 
she sees more worth in the forbidden fruit, than in the 
love and enjoyment of God, no wonder if it have more of 
her heart than God. If your judgment once prefer the 
delights of the flesh before the delights of the presence of 
God, it is impossible your heart should be in heaven. As 



290 

it is ignorance of the emptiness of things below, that 
makes men so overvalue them ; so it is ignorance of the 
high delights above, which is the cause that men so little 
mind them. If you see a purse of gold, and believe it to 
be but counters, it will not entice your affections to it. 
It is not the real excellence of a thing itself, but its 
known excellence, that excites desire. If an ignorant 
man see a book, containing the secrets of arts or sciences, 
he values it no more than a common piece, because he 
knows not what is in it ; but he that knows it, highly 
values it, and can even forbear his meat, drink, and sleep, 
to read it. As the Jews killed the Messiah, while they 
waited for him, because they did not know him : so the 
world cries out for rest, and busily seeks for delight and 
happiness, because they know it not ; for did they thor- 
oughly know what it is, they could not so slight the 
everlasting treasure. 

11. (2.) Labor also to know that heaven is thy own 
happiness. We may confess heaven to be the best con- 
dition, though we despair of enjoying it ; and we may 
desire and seek it, if we see the attainment but probable ; 
but we can never delightfully rejoice in it, till we are in 
some measure persuaded of our title to it. What comfort 
is it to a man that is naked, to see the rich attire of others ? 
What delight is it for a man that hath not a house to put 
his head in, to see the sumptuous buildings of others? 
Would not all this rather increase his anguish, and make 
him more sensible of his own misery ? So, for a man to 
know the excellencies of heaven, and not know whether 
ever he shall enjoy them, may raise desire, and urge 
pursuit, but he will have little joy. Who will set his 
heart on another man's possessions? If your houses, 
your goods, your cattle, your children, were not your own, 
you would less mind them, and less delight in them. O 
Christian ! rest not therefore, till you can call this rest 



291 

your own : bring thy heart to the bar of trial : set the 
qualifications of the saints on one side, and of thy soul on 
the other, and then judge how near they resemble. Thou 
hast the same word to judge thyself by now, as thou must 
be judged by at the great day. Mistake not the Scrip- 
ture's description of a saint, that thou neither acquit nor 
condemn thyself upon mistakes. For as groundless hopes 
tend to confusion, and are the greatest cause of most 
men's damnation ; so groundless doubts tend to, and are 
the great cause of, the saints perplexity and distress. 
Therefore lay thy foundation for trial safely, and proceed 
in the work deliberately and resolutely, nor give over till 
thou canst say, either thou hast or hast not yet, a title to 
this rest, O ! if men did truly know, that God is their 
own Father, and Christ their own Redeemer and Head, 
and that those are their own everlasting habitations, and 
that there they must abide and be happy for ever ; how 
could they choose but be transported with the forethoughts 
thereof! If a Christian could but look upon sun, moon, 
and stars, and reckon all his own in Christ, and say, 
" These are the blessings that my Lord hath procured 
me, and things incomparably greater than these ; " what 
holy raptures would his spirit feel ! 

' 12. The more do they sin against their own comforts, 
as well as against the grace of the gospel, who plead for 
their unbelief, and cherish distrustful thoughts of God, and 
injurious thoughts of their Redeemer ; who represent the 
covenant as if it were of works, and not of grace : and 
Christ as an enemy, rather than a Saviour ; as if he were 
willing they should die in their unbelief, when he hath 
invited them so often and so affectionately, and suffered 
the agonies that they should suffer. Wretches that we 
are ! to be keeping up jealousies of our Lord, when we 
should be rejoicing in his love. As if any man could 
choose Christ, before Christ hath chosen him, or any man 



292 

were more willing to be happy, than Christ is to make him 
happy. Away with these injurious, if not blasphemous 
thoughts ! If ever thou hast harbored such thoughts in 
thy breast, cast them from thee, and take heed how thou 
ever entertainest them more. God hath written the names 
of his people in heaven, as you use to write your names or 
marks on your goods; and shall we be attempting to raze 
them out, and to write our names on the doors of hell ? 
But blessed be God, whose foundation standeth sure ; and 
who " keepeth us by his power through faith unto salva- 
tion ! " 

13. (3.) Labor to apprehend how near thy rest is. 
What we think near at hand, we are more sensible of 
than that which we behold at a distance. When judg- 
ments or mercies are afar off, we talk of them with little 
concern ; but when they draw close to us, we tremble at, 
or rejoice in them. This makes men think on heaven so 
insensibly, because they conceit it at too great a distance : 
they look on it as twenty, thirty, or forty years off. How 
much better were it to receive " the sentence of death in 
ourselves," and to look on eternity as near at hand ! 
While I am writing, and thinking of it, it hasteth near, 
and I am even entering into it before I am aware. While 
thou art reading this, whoever thou art, time posteth on, 
and thy life will be gone " as a tale that is told." If you 
verily believed you should die to-morrow, how seriously 
would you think of heaven to-night ! When Samuel had 
told Saul, " To-morrow shalt thou be with me ; " this 
struck him to the heart. And if Christ should say to a 
believing soul, " To-morrow shalt thou be with me ; " 
this would bring him in spirit to heaven beforehand. Do 
but suppose that you are still entering into heaven, and it 
will greatly help you more seriously to mind it. 

14. (4.) Let thy eternal rest be the subject of thy 
frequent serious discourse ; especially with those that can 



293 

speak from their hearts, and are seasoned themselves with 
a heavenly nature. It is great pity Christians should ever 
meet together, without some talk of their meeting in 
heaven, or of the way to it, before they part. It is pity 
so much time is spent in vain conversation, and useless 
disputes, and not a serious word of heaven among them. 
Methinks we should meet together on purpose to warm our 
spirits with discoursing of our rest. To hear a Christian 
set forth that blessed, glorious state, with life and power, 
from the premises of the gospel, methinks should make 
us say, " Did not our hearts burn within us, while he 
opened to us the Scriptures?" If a Felix will tremble 
when he hears his judgment powerfully represented, why 
should not the believer be revived, when he hears his 
eternal rest described 1 Wicked men can be delighted in 
talking together of their wickedness; and should not 
Christians then be delighted in talking of Christ ; and the 
heirs of heaven in talking of their inheritance ? This 
may make our hearts revive, as it did Jacob's to hear the 
message that called him to Goshen, and to see the chariots 
that should bring him to Joseph. O that we were fur- 
nished with skill and resolution, to turn the stream of 
men's common discourse to these more sublime and 
precious things ! and, when men begin to talk of things 
unprofitable, that we could tell how to put in a word for 
heaven, and say, as Peter of his bodily food, " Not so, for 
I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean." 
O the good that we might both do and receive by this 
course ! Had it not been to deter us from unprofitable 
conversation, Christ would not have talked of our giving 
an account of every idle word in the day of judgment. 
Say then as the Psalmist, when you are in company, " Let 
my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer 
not Jerusalem above my chief joy." Then you shall 
26 



294 

find it true, that a "wholesome tongue is a tree of 
life." 

15. (5.) Endeavor, in every duty, to raise thy affections 
nearer to heaven. God's end in the institution of his 
ordinances was, that they should be as so many steps to 
advance us to our rest, and by which, in subordination to 
Christ, we might daily ascend in our affections. Let this 
be thy end in using them, and doubtless they will not be 
unsuccessful. How have you been rejoiced by a few lines 
from a friend, when you could not see him face to face ! 
And may we not have intercourse with God in his or- 
dinances, though our persons be yet so far remote 1 May 
not our spirits rejoice in reading those lines, which contain 
our legacy and charter for heaven ? With what gladness 
and triumph may we read the expressions of divine love, 
and hear of our celestial country, though w r e have not yet 
the happiness to behold it ! Men that are separated by 
sea and land, can by letters carry on great and gainful 
trades ; and may not a Christian, in the wise improvement 
of duties, drive on this happy trade for rest ? Come, then, 
renounce formality, custom, and applause, and kneel down 
in secret or public prayer, with hope to get thy heart 
nearer to God, before thou risest up. When thou openest 
thy Bible, or other book, hope to meet with some passage 
of divine truth, and such blessing of the Spirit with it, as 
will give thee a fuller taste of heaven. When thou art 
going to the house of God, say " I hope to meet with 
somewhat from God to raise my affections, before I return ; 
I hope the Spirit will give me the meeting, and sweeten 
my heart with those celestial delights ; I hope Christ will 
appear to me in that way, and shine about me with light 
from heaven; let me hear his instructing and reviving 
voice, and cause the scales to fall from my eyes, that I 
may see more of that glory than I ever yet saw. I hope 
before I return, my Lord will bring my heart within the 



295 

view of rest, and set it before his Father's presence, that 
I may return as the shepherds from the heavenly vision, 
* glorifying and praising God, for all the things I have 
heard and seen.' " When the Indians first saw that the 
English could converse together by letters, they thought 
there was some spirit enclosed in them. So would by- 
standers admire when Christians have communion with 
God in duties — what there is in those Scriptures, in that 
sermon, in this prayer, that fills their hearts so full of joy, 
and so transports them above themselves. Certainly God 
would not fail us in our duties, if we did not fail ourselves. 
Remember, therefore, always to pray for your minister, 
that God would put some divine message into his mouth, 
which may leave a heavenly relish upon your spirit. 

16. (6.) Improve every object and every event, to mind 
thy soul of its approaching rest. As all providences and 
creatures are means to our rest, so they point us to that as 
their end. God's sweetest dealings with us at the present 
would not be half so sweet as they are, if they did not 
intimate some further sweetness. Thou takest but the 
bare earnest, and overlookest the main sum, when thou 
receivest thy mercies, and forgettest thy crown. O that 
Christians were skilful in this art! You can open 
your Bibles ; learn to open the volumes of creation and 
providence, to read there also of God and glory. Thus 
we might have a fuller taste of Christ and heaven in every 
common meal, than most men have in a sacrament. If 
thou prosper in the world, let it make thee more sensible 
of thy perpetual prosperity. If thou art weary with labor, 
let it make the thoughts of thy eternal rest more sweet. 
If things go cross, let thy desires be more earnest to have 
sorrows and sufferings for ever cease. Is thy body re- 
freshed with food or sleep ? remember the inconceivable 
refreshment with Christ. Dost thou hear any good news ? 
remember what glad tidings it will be, to hear the trump 



296 

of God, and the applauding sentence of Christ. Art thou 
delighted with the society of the saints ? remember what 
the perfect society in heaven will be. Is God com- 
municating himself to thy spirit ? remember the time of 
thy highest advancement, when both thy communion and 
joy shall be full. Dost thou hear the raging noise of the 
wicked, and the confusions of the world ? think of the 
blessed harmony in heaven. Dost thou hear the tempest 
of war ? remember the day, when thou shaft be in perfect 
peace, under the wings of the Prince of peace for ever. 
Thus, every condition, and creature, affords us advantages 
of a heavenly life, if we had but hearts to improve them. 

17. (7.) Be much in the angelical work of praise. The 
more heavenly the employment, the more it will make the 
spirit heavenly. Praising God is the work of angels and 
saints in heaven, and will be our own everlasting work ; 
and if we were more in it now, we should be like to what 
we shall be then. As desire, faith, and hope, are of 
shorter continuance than love and joy ; so also preaching, 
prayer, and sacraments, and all means for expressing and 
confirming our faith and hope, shall cease, when our tri- 
umphant expressions of love and joy shall abide for ever. 
The liveliest emblem of heaven that I know upon earth, 
is, when the people of God, in the deep sense of his excel- 
lency and bounty, from hearts abounding with love and 
joy, join together both in heart and voice, in the cheerful 
and melodious singing of his praises. These delights, like 
the testimony of the Spirit, witness themselves to be of 
God, and bring the evidence of their heavenly parentage 
along with them. 

18. Little do we know how we wrong ourselves by 
shutting out of our prayers the praises of God, or allowing 
them so narrow a room as we usually do, while we are 
copious enough in our confessions and petitions. Reader, 
I entreat thee, remember this, let praises have a larger 



297 

room in thy duties ; keep matter ready at hand to feed thy 
praise, as well as matter for confession and petition. To 
this end, study the excellencies and goodness of the Lord, 
as frequently as thy own wants and unworthiness ; the 
mercies thou hast received, and those which are promised 
as often as the sins thou hast committed. "Praise is 
comely for the upright. Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth 
God. Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing 
praises unto his name, for it is pleasant. Let us offer the 
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of 
our lips, giving thanks to his name." Had not David a 
most heavenly spirit, who was so much in this heavenly 
work ? Doth it not sometimes raise our hearts, when we 
only read the song of Moses, and the psalms of David ? 
How much more would it raise and refresh us, to be skil- 
ful and frequent in the work ourselves ! O the madness 
of youth, that lay out their vigor of body and mind upon 
vain delights and fleshly lusts, which is so unfit for the 
noblest work of man ! And O the sinful folly of many of 
the saints, who drench their spirits in continual sadness, 
and waste their days in complaints and groans, and so 
make themselves, both in body and mind, unfit for this 
sweet and heavenly work ! Instead of joining with the 
people of God in his praises, they are questioning their 
worthiness, and studying their miseries, and so rob God 
of his glory, and themselves of their consolation. But the 
greatest destroyer of our comfort in this duty, is our taking 
up with the tune and melody, and suffering the heart to 
be idle, which ought to perform the principal part of the 
work, and use the melody to revive and exhilarate itself. 

19. (8.) Ever keep thy soul possessed with believing 
thoughts of the infinite love of God. Love is the attrac- 
tive of love. Few so vile, but will love those that love 
them. No dOubt it is the death of our heavenly life to 
26* 



298 

have hard thoughts of God, to conceive of him as one that 
would rather damn than save us. This is to put the 
blessed God into the similitude of Satan. When our 
ignorance and unbelief have drawn the most deformed 
picture of God in our imaginations, then we complain that 
we cannot love him, nor delight in him. This is the case 
of many thousand Christians. Alas, that we should thus 
blaspheme God, and blast our own joys! Scripture 
assures us, that " God is love ; that fury is not in him ; 
that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but 
that the wicked turn from his way and live." Much more 
hath he testified his love to his chosen, and his full reso- 
lution effectually to save them. O that we could always 
think of God as we do of a friend ; as of one that unfeign- 
edly loves us, even more than we do ourselves ; whose 
very heart is set upon us to do us good, and hath therefore 
provided for us an everlasting dwelling with himself! it 
would not then be so hard to have our hearts ever with 
him ! Where we love most heartily, we shall think most 
sweetly and most freely. I fear most Christians think 
higher of the love of a hearty friend, than of the love of 
God ; and what wonder then if they love their friends 
better than God, and trust them more confidently than 
God, and had rather live with them than with God. 

20. (9.) Carefully observe and cherish the motions of 
the Spirit of God. If ever thy soul get above this earth, 
and get acquainted with this heavenly life, the Spirit of 
God must be to thee, as the chariot to Elijah ; yea, the 
very living principle by which thou must move and ascend. 
O then, grieve not thy guide, quench not thy life, knock 
not off thy chariot wheels ! You little think how much 
the life of all your graces, and the happiness of your souls, 
depend upon your ready and cordial obedience to the 
Spirit. When the Spirit urges thee to secret prayer, or 
forbids thee thy known transgressions ; or points out tc 



299 

thee the way in which thou shouldst go ; and thou wilt 
not regard, no wonder if heaven and thy soul be strange. 
If thou wilt not follow the Spirit, while it would draw thee 
to Christ and thy duty ; how should it lead thee to heaven, 
and bring thy heart into the presence of God? What 
supernatural help, what bold access, shall the soul find 
in its approaches to the Almighty, that constantly obeys 
the Spirit ? And how backward, how dull, how ashamed, 
will he be in these addresses, who hath often broken 
away from the Spirit that would have guided him 1 Chris- 
tian Reader, dost thou not feel sometimes a strong impres- 
sion to retire from the world, and draw near to God ? Do 
not disobey, but take the offer, and hoist up thy sails while 
this blessed gale may be had. The more of the Spirit we 
resist, the deeper will it wound ; and the more we obey, 
the speedier will be our pace. 

21. (10.) I advise thee, as a further help to this heav- 
enly life, not to neglect the due care of thy bodily health. 
Thy body is a useful servant, if thou give it its due, and 
no more than its due ; but it is a most devouring tyrant, 
if thou suffer it to have what it unreasonably desires : and 
it is as a blunted knife, if thou unjustly deny it what is 
necessary to its support. When we consider, how fre- 
quently men offend in both extremes, and how few use 
their bodies aright, we cannot wonder if they be much 
hindered in their converse with heaven. Most men are 
slaves to their appetite, and can scarcely deny any thing 
to the flesh, and are therefore willingly carried by it to 
their sports, or profits, or vain companions, when they 
should raise their minds to God and heaven. As you love 
your souls, " make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the 
lusts thereof; " but remember, "to be carnally minded, is 
death ; because the carnal mind is enmity against God, 
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can 
be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 



300 

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to 
live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall 
die ; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of 
the body, ye shall live." There are a few, who much 
hinder their heavenly joy, by denying the body its neces- 
saries, and so making it unable to serve them ; if such 
wronged their flesh only, it would be no great matter ; but 
they wrong their souls also ; as he that spoils the house, 
injures the inhabitants. When the body is sick, and the 
spirits languish, how heavily do we move in the thoughts 
and joys of heaven ! 



301 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Nature of heavenly Contemplation ; with the 
Time, Place, and Temper, fittest for it. 

Sect. 1. The duty of heavenly contemplation is recommended to 
the Reader, 2. and denned. 3 — 6. (I.) The definition is illus- 
trated. 7. (II.) The time fittest for it is represented, as, 8. (1.) 
stated ; 9—12. (2.) frequent ; 13. and (3.) seasonable every day, 
particularly every Lord's day, 14 — 17. but more especially when 
our hearts are warmed with a sense of divine things ; or when we 
are atHicted or tempted ; or when we are near death : 18. (III.) 
The fittest place for it, is the most retired : 19. (IV.) And the 
temper fittest for it, is, 20. (1.) when our minds are most clear of 
the world, 21. (2.) and most solemn and serious. 

1. Once more I entreat thee, Reader, as thou iiiakest 
conscience of a revealed duty, and darest not wilfully 
resist the Spirit ; as thou valuest the high delights of a 
saint, and the soul-ravishing exercise of heavenly contem- 
plation ; that thou diligently study, and speedily and faith- 
fully practise the following directions. If, by this means, 
thou dost not find an increase of all thy graces, and dost 
not grow beyond the stature of common Christians, and 
are not made more serviceable in thy place, and more 
precious in the eyes of all discerning persons ; if thy soul 
enjoy not more communion with God, and thy life be not 
fuller of comfort, and hast it not readier by thee at a dying 
hour ; then cast away these directions and exclaim against 
me for ever as a deceiver. 

2. The duty which I press upon thee so earnestly, and 
in the practice of which I am now to direct thee, is, " The 
set and solemn acting of all the powers of thy soul in med~ 



302 

itation upon thy everlasting rest." More fully to explain 
the nature of this duty, I will here illustrate a little the 
description itself — then point out the fittest time, place, 
and temper of mind, for it. 

3. (I.) It is not improper to illustrate a little the man- 
ner in which we have described this duty of meditation, 
or the considering and contemplating of spiritual things. 
It is confessed to be a duty by all, but practically denied 
by most. Many that make conscience of other duties, 
easily forget this. They are troubled, if they omit a ser- 
mon, a fast, or a prayer in public or private ; yet were 
never troubled that they have omitted meditation, perhaps 
all their lifetime to this very day ; though it be that duty, 
by which all other duties are improved, and by which the 
soul digesteth truths for its nourishment and comfort. It 
was God's command to Joshua, " This book of the law 
shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate 
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do 
according to all that is written therein." As digestion 
turns food into chyle and blood, for vigorous health ; so 
meditation turns the truths received and remembered into 
warm affection, firm resolution, and holy conversation. 

4. This meditation is, the acting of all the powers of 
the soul. It is the work of the living, and not of the dead. 
It is a work of all others the most spiritual and sublime, 
and therefore not to be well performed by a heart that is 
merely carnal, and earthly. They must necessarily have 
some relation to heaven, before they can familiarly con- 
verse there. I suppose them to be such as have a title to 
rest, when I persuade them to rejoice in the meditations 
of rest. And supposing thee to be a Christian, I am now 
exhorting thee to be an active Christian. And it is the 
work of the soul I am setting thee to, for bodily exercise 
doth here profit but little. And it must have all the 
powers of the soul to distinguish it from the common med- 






303 

itation of students ; for the understanding is not the whole 
soul, and therefore cannot do the whole work. As in the 
body, the stomach must turn the food into chyle, and pre- 
pare for the liver, the liver and spleen turn it into blood, 
and prepare for the heart and brain ; so in the soul, the 
understanding must take in truths, and prepare them for 
the will, and that for the affections. Christ and heaven 
have various excellencies, and therefore God hath formed 
the soul with different powers for apprehending those 
excellencies. What the better had we been for odorif- 
erous flowers, if we had no smell 1 or what good would 
language or music have done us, if we could not hear ? 
or what pleasure should we have found in meats and 
drinks, without the sense of taste ? So what good could 
all the glory of heaven have done us, or what pleasure 
should we have had in the perfection of God himself, if 
we had been without the affections of love and joy ? And 
what strength or sweetness canst thou possibly receive by 
thy meditations on eternity, whilst thou dost not exercise 
those affections of the soul, by which thou must be sensible 
of this sweetness and strength ! It is the mistake of 
Christians to think that meditation is only the work of the 
understanding and memory ; when every school-boy can 
do this, or persons that hate the things which they think 
on. So that you see there is more to be done, than barely 
to remember and think on heaven : as some labors not 
only stir a hand or a foot, but exercise the whole body ; so 
doth meditation the whole soul. As the affections of sin- 
ners are set on the world, are turned to idols, and fallen 
from God, as well as their understanding ; so must their 
affections be reduced to God, as well as the understand- 
ing ; and as their whole soul was filled with sin before, so 
the whole must be filled with God now. See David's 
description of the blessed man, " His delight is in the law 



304 

of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and 
night." 

5. This meditation is set and solemn. As there is 
solemn prayer, when we set ourselves wholly to that 
duty ; and ejaculatory prayer, when in the midst of other 
business we send up some short request to God ; so also 
there is solemn meditation, when we apply ourselves 
wholly to that work : and transient meditation, when in 
the midst of other business we have some good thoughts 
of God in our minds. And as solemn prayer is either set, 
in a constant course of duty, or occasional, at an extra- 
ordinary season ; so also is meditation. Now, though I 
would persuade you to that meditation which is mixed 
with your common labors, and also that which special 
occasions direct you to ; yet I would have you likewise 
make it a constant standing duty, as you do by hearing, 
praying, and reading the Scriptures ; and no more in- 
termix other matters with it, than you would with prayer, 
or other stated solemnities. 

6. This meditation is upon thy everlasting rest. I 
would not have you cast off your other meditations ; but 
surely as heaven hath the pre-eminence in perfection, it 
should have it also in our meditation. That which will 
make us most happy when we possess it, will make us 
most joyful when we meditate upon it. Other meditations 
are as numerous as there are lines in the Scripture, or 
creatures in the universe, or particular providences in the 
government of the world. But this is a walk to Mount 
Sion : from the kingdoms of this world to the kino-dom of 
saints ; from earth to heaven ; from time to eternity : it is 
walking upon sun, moon, and stars, in the garden and 
paradise of God. It may seem far off: but spirits are 
quick ; whether in the body or out of the body, their 
motion is swift. You need not fear like the men of 



305 

the world, lest these thoughts should make you mad. 
It is heaven, and not hell, that I persuade you to walk 
in. It is joy, and not sorrow, that I persuade you to 
exercise. I urge you to look on no deformed objects, 
but only upon the ravishing glory of saints, and the 
unspeakable excellencies of the God of glory, and 
the beams that stream from the face of his Son. Will 
it distract a man to think of his holy happiness? 
Will it distract the miserable to think of mercy, or the 
prisoner to foresee deliverance, or the poor to think of 
approaching riches and honor ? Methinks it should 
rather make a man mad, to think of living in a world of 
wo, and abiding in poverty and sickness, among the rage 
of wicked men, than to think of living with Christ in 
bliss. "But wisdom is justified of all her children." 
Knowledge hath no enemy but the ignorant. This 
heavenly course was never spoken against by any but 
those that never knew it, or never used it. I fear more 
the neglect of men that approve it, than the opposition or 
arguments of any against it. 

7. (11.) As to the fittest time for this heavenly con- 
templation, let me only advise, that it be — stated — frequent 
- — and seasonable. 

8. (1.) Give it a stated time. If thou suit thy time to 
the advantage of the work, without placing any religion 
in the time itself, thou hast no need to fear superstition. 
Stated time is a hedge to duty, and defends it against 
many temptations to omission. Some have not their time 
at command, and therefore cannot set their hours; and 
many are so poor, that the necessities of their families 
deny them this freedom : such persons should be watchful 
to redeem time as much as they can, and take their vacant 
opportunities as they fall, and especially join meditation 
and prayer as much as they can, with the labors of their 

27 



306 

callings. Yet those that have more time to spare from 
their worldly necessities, and are masters of their time, I 
still advise to keep this duty to a stated time. And indeed, 
if every work of the day had its appointed time, we should 
be better skilled, both in redeeming time and in perform- 
ing duty. 

9. (2.) Let it be frequent, as well as stated. How oft 
it should be, I cannot determine, because men's circum- 
stances differ. But, in general, Scripture requires it to 
be frequent, when it mentions meditating day and night. 
For those, therefore, who can conveniently omit other 
business, I advise, that it be once a day at least. Frequency 
in heavenly contemplation is particularly important. 

10. To prevent a shyness between God and thy soul. 
Frequent society breeds familiarity, and familiarity 
increases love and delight, and makes us bold in our 
addresses. The chief end of this duty is, to have ac- 
quaintance and fellowship with God ; and therefore if 
thou come but seldom to it, thou wilt keep thyself a 
stranger still. When a man feels his need of God, and 
must seek his help in a time of necessity, then it is great 
encouragement to go to a God we know and are acquainted 
with. " O !" saith the heavenly Christian, " I know both 
whither I go, and to whom. I have gone this way many a 
time before now. It is the same God that I daily converse 
with, and the way has been my daily walk. God knows 
me well enough, and I have some knowledge of him." 
On the other side, what a horror and discouragement will 
it be to the soul, when it is forced to fly to God in straits, 
to think, " Alas ! I know not whither to go. I never 
went the way before. I have no acquaintance at the 
court of heaven. My soul knows not that God that I must 
speak to, and I fear he will not know my soul." But 
especially when we come to die, and must immediately 
appear before this God, and expect to enter into his 






307 

eternal rest, then the difference will plainly appear ; then 
what a joy will it be to think, "I am going to the place 
that I daily conversed in ; to the place from whence I 
tasted such frequent delights ; to that God whom I have 
met in my meditation so often. My heart hath been at 
heaven before now, and hath often tasted its reviving 
sweetness ; and if my eyes were so enlightened, and my 
spirits so refreshed, when I had but a taste, what will it 
be when I shall feed on it freely?" On the contrary, 
v/hat a terror will it be to think, " I must die, and go I 
know not whither ; from a place where I am acquainted, 
to a place where I have no familiarity or knowledge ! " 
It is inexpressible horror to a dying man, to have strange 
thoughts of God and heaven, I am persuaded the neglect 
of this duty so commonly makes death, even to godly 
men, unwelcome and uncomfortable. Therefore I per- 
suade to frequency in this duty. And as it will prevent 
shyness between thee and God, so also, 

11. It will prevent unskilfulness in the duty itself. 
How awkwardly do men set their hands to a work they 
are seldom employed in ! Whereas, frequency will 
habituate thy heart to the work, and make it more easy 
and delightful. The hill which made thee pant and blow 
at first going up, thou mayest easily run up, when thou 
art once accustomed to it. 

12. Thou wilt also prevent the loss of that heat and 
life thou hast obtained. If thou eat but once in two or 
three days, thou wilt lose thy strength as fast as it comes. 
If in holy meditation thou get near to Christ, and warm 
thy heart with the fire of love, and then come but seldom, 
thy former coldness will soon return; especially as the 
work is so spiritual, and against the bent of depraved 
nature. It is true, the intermixing of other duties, 
especially secret prayer, may do much to the keeping thy 
heart above; but meditation is the life of most other 



308 

duties, and the view of heaven is the life of medita- 
tion. 

13. (3.) Choose also the most seasonable time. All 
things are beautiful and excellent in their season. Un- 
seasonableness may lose the fruit of thy labor, may raise 
difficulties in the work, and may turn a duty to a sin. 
The same hour may be seasonable to one and unseason- 
able to another. Servants and laborers must take that 
season which their business can best afford ; either while 
at work, or in travelling, or when they lie awake in the 
night. Such as can choose what time of the day they 
will, should observe when they find their spirits most 
active and fit for contemplation, and fix upon that as the 
stated time. I have always found that the fittest time for 
myself is the evening, from sunsetting to the twilight. I 
the rather mention this, because it was the experience of 
a better and wiser man ; for it is expressly said, " Isaac 
went out to meditate in the field at the eventide.'" 5 The 
Lord's day is exceeding seasonable for this exercise. 
When should we more seasonably contemplate our rest, 
than on that day of rest which typifies it to us ? It being 
a day appropriated to spiritual duties, methinks we should 
never exclude this duty, which is so eminently spiritual. 
I verily think this is the chief work of a Christian Sab- 
bath, and most agreeable to the design of its positive 
institution. What fitter time to converse with our Lord, 
than on the Lord's day ? What fitter day to ascend to 
heaven, than that on which he arose from earth, and fully 
triumphed over death and hell ? The fittest temper for a 
true Christian is, like John, to "be in the spirit on the 
Lord's day." And what can bring us to this joy in the 
Spirit, but the spiritual beholding of our approaching 
glory ? Take notice of this, you that spend the Lord's 
day only in public worship; your allowing no time to 
private duty, and therefore neglecting this spiritual duty 






309 

of meditation, is very hurtful to your souls. You also that 
have time on the Lord's day for idleness and vain dis- 
course, were you but acquainted with this duty of con- 
templation, you would need no other pastime ; you would 
think the longest day short enough, and be sorry that the 
night had shortened your pleasure. Christians, let heaven 
have more share in your Sabbaths, where you must shortly 
keep your everlasting Sabbath. Use your Sabbaths as 
steps to glory, till you have passed them all, and are there 
arrived. Especially you that are poor, and cannot take 
time in the week as you desire, see that you well improve 
this day; as your bodies rest from their labors, let your 
spirits seek after rest from God. 

14. Besides the constant seasonableness of every day, 
and particularly every Lord's day, there are also more 
peculiar seasons for heavenly contemplation. As for 
instance : 

15. When God hath more abundantly warmed thy 
spirit with fire from above, then thou mayest soar with 
greater freedom. A little labor will set thy heart a-going 
at such a time as this; whereas, at another time, thou 
mayest take pains to little purpose. Observe the gales of 
the Spirit, and how the Spirit of Christ doth move thy 
spirit. " Without Christ, we can do nothing ; " and 
therefore let us be doing while he is doing ; and be sure 
not to be out of the way, nor asleep, when he comes. 
When the Spirit finds thy heart, like Peter, in prison, and 
in irons, and smites thee, and says, " Arise up quickly, 
and follow me," be sure thou then arise, and follow, and 
thou shalt find thy chains fall off, and all doors will open, 
and thou wilt be at heaven before thou art aware. 

16. Another peculiar season for this duty is, when 
thou art in a suffering, distressed, or tempted state. When 
should we take our cordials, but in time of fainting? 

27* 



310 

When is it more seasonable to walk to heaven, than when 
we know not in what corner of the earth to live with 
comfort ? Or when should our thoughts converse more 
above, than when they have nothing but grief below 1 
Where should Noah's dove be but in the ark, when the 
waters cover all the earth, and she cannot find rest for the 
sole of her foot ? What should we think on, but our 
Father's house, when we have not even the husks of the 
world to feed upon X Surely God sends thy afflictions to 
this very purpose. Happy art thou, poor man, if thou 
make this use of thy poverty ! and thou that art sick, if 
thou so improve thy sickness ! It is seasonable to go to 
the promised land, when our burdens are increased in 
Egypt, and our straits in the wilderness. Reader, if thou 
knewest what a cordial to thy griefs the serious views of 
glory are, thou wouldst less fear these harmless troubles, 
and more use that preserving, reviving remedy. " In the 
multitude of my troubled thoughts within me," saith David, 
" thy comforts delight my soul." " I reckon," saith Paul, 
"that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to 
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in 
us." " For which cause we faint not, but though our 
outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day 
by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a mo- 
ment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal 
weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are 
seen, but at the things which are not seen ; for the things 
which are seen are temporal ; but the things which are 
not seen are eternal." 

17. And another season peculiarly fit for this heavenly 
duty is, when the messengers of God summon us to die. 
When should we more frequently sweeten our souls with 
the believing thoughts of another life, than when we find 
that this is almost ended ? No men have greater need of 
supporting joys, than dying men ; and those joys must be 



311 

fetched from our eternal joy. As heavenly delights are 
sweetest, when nothing earthly are joined with them ; so 
the delights of dying Christians are oftentimes the sweetest 
they ever had. What a prophetic blessing had dying 
Isaac, and Jacob, for their sons ! With what a heavenly 
song, and divine benediction, did Moses conclude his life ! 
What heavenly advice and prayer had the disciples from 
their Lord, when he was about to leave them ! When 
Paul was ready to be offered up, what heavenly exhortation 
and advice did he give the Philippians, Timothy, and the 
Elders of Ephesus ! How near to heaven was John in 
Patmos, but a little before his translation thither ! It is 
the general temper of the saints, to be then most heavenly 
when they are nearest heaven. If it be thy case, Reader, 
to perceive thy dying time draw on, O where should thy 
heart now be but with Christ ? Methinks thou shouldst 
even behold him standing by thee, and shouldst bespeak 
him as thy father, thy husband, thy physician, thy friend. 
Methinks thou shouldst, as it were, see the angels about 
thee, waiting to perform their last office to thy soul ; even 
those angels which disdained not to carry into Abraham's 
bosom the soul of Lazarus, nor will think much to conduct 
thee thither. Look upon thy pain and sickness as Jacob 
did on Joseph's chariots, and let thy spirit revive within 
thee, and say, "It is enough, Christ is yet alive; because 
he liveth, I shall live also." Dost thou need the choicest 
cordials ? Here are choicer than the world can afford ; 
here are all the joys of heaven, even the vision of God, 
and Christ, and whatsoever the blessed here possess. 
These dainties are offered thee by the hand of Christ ; he 
hath written the receipt in the promises of the gospel ; he 
hath prepared the ingredients in heaven ; only put forth 
the hand of faith, and feed upon them, and rejoice and 
live. The Lord saith to thee, as to Elijah, " Arise and 
eat, because the journey is too great for thee." Though 



312 

it be not long, yet the way is miry ; therefore obey his 
voice, arise and eat, and in the strength of that meat thou 
mayest go to the mount of God : and, like Moses, die in 
the mount whither thou goest up : and say, as Simeon, 
" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace : for 
my eve of faith hath seen thy salvation.'' 

18. (III.) Concerning the fittest place for heavenly 
contemplation, it is sufficient to say, that the most con- 
venient is some private retirement. Our spirits need every 
help, and to be freed from every hinderance in the work. 
If in private prayer, Christ directs us to " enter into our 
closet, and shut the door, that our Father may see us in 
secret,"' so should we do this in meditation. How often did 
Christ himself retire to some mountain, or wilderness, 
or other solitary place ? I give not this advice for oc- 
casional meditation, but for that which is set and solemn. 
Therefore withdraw thyself from all society, even that of 
godly men, that thou mayest awhile enjoy the society of 
thy Lord. If a student cannot study in a crowd, who 
exerciseth only his invention and memory: much less 
shouldst thou be in a crowd, who art to exercise all the 
powers of thy soul, and upon an object so far above 
nature. Vie are fled so far from superstitious solitude, 
that we have even cast off the solitude of contemplative 
devotion. We seldom read of God's appearing by himself, 
or by his angels, to any of his prophets or saints in a 
crowd ; but frequently when they were alone. But 
observe for thyself what place best agrees with thy spirit ; 
within doors or without. Isaac's example, in going out 
to meditate in the field, will, I am persuaded, best suit 
with most. Our Lord so much used a solitary garden, 
that even Judas, when he came to betray him, knew 
where to find him : and though he took his disciples 
thither with him, yet he was withdrawn from them for 
more secret devotions ; and though his meditation be not 



313 

directly named, but only his praying, yet it is very clearly 
implied ; for his soul is first made sorrowful with the bitter 
meditations on his sufferings and death, and then he 
poureth it out in prayer. So that Christ had his ac- 
customed place, and consequently accustomed duty ; and 
so must we : he hath a place that is solitary, whither he 
retireth himself, even from his own disciples, and so must 
we ; his meditations go further than his thoughts, they 
affect, and pierce his heart and soul, and so must ours. 
Only there is a wide difference in the object : Christ 
meditates on the sufferings that our sins have deserved, so 
that the wrath of his Father passed through all his soul ; 
but we are to meditate on the glory he hath purchased, 
that the love of the Father, and the joy of the Spirit, may 
enter at our thoughts, and revive our affections, and over- 
flow our souls. 

19. (IV.) I am next to advise thee concerning the 
preparations of thy heart for this heavenly contemplation. 
The success of the work much depends on the frame of 
thy heart. When man's heart had nothing in it to grieve 
the Spirit, it was then the delightful habitation of his 
Maker. God did not quit his residence there, till man 
expelled him by unworthy provocations. There was no 
shyness or reserve till the heart grew sinful, and too 
loathsome a dungeon for God to delight in. And was 
this soul reduced to its former innocency, God would 
quickly return to his former habitation ; yea, so far as it 
is renewed and repaired by the Spirit, and purged from 
its lusts, and beautified with his image, the Lord will yet 
acknowledge it as his own : Christ will manifest himself 
unto it, and the Spirit will take it for his temple and 
residence. So far as the heart is qualified for conversing 
with God, so far it usually enjoys him. Therefore, " with 
all diligence keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of 
life." More particularly, 



314 

20. (1.) Get thy heart as clear from the world as thou 
canst. Wholly lay by the thoughts of thy business, 
troubles, enjoyments, and every thing that may take up 
any room in thy soul. Get it as empty as thou possibly 
canst, that it may be the more capable of being tilled with 
God. If thou couldst perform some outward duty with a 
piece of thy heart, while the other is absent, yet this duty 
above all I am sure thou canst not. When thou shalt go 
into the mount of contemplation, thou wilt be like the 
covetous man at the heap of gold, who, when he might take 
as much as he could, lamented that he was able to carry 
no more : so thou wilt find so much of God and glory as 
thy narrow heart is able to contain, and almost nothing to 
hinder thy full possession, but the incapacity of thy own 
spirit. Then thou wilt think, " O that this understand- 
ing, and these affections, could contain more ! It is more 
my unfitness than any thing else, that even this place is 
not my heaven. God is in this place, and I know it not. 
This mount is full of chariots of fire ; but mine eyes are 
shut, and I cannot see them. O the words of love Christ 
hath to speak, and wonders of love he hath to show, but I 
cannot bear them yet! Heaven is ready for me, but my 
heart is unready for heaven. ;: Therefore, Reader, seeing 
thy enjoyment of God in this contemplation much depends 
on the capacity and disposition of thy heart, seek him 
here, if ever, with all thy soul. Thrust not Christ into 
the stable and the manger, as if thou hadst better guests 
for the chief rooms. Say to all thy worldly business and 
thoughts, as Christ to his disciples, " Sit ye here, while I 
go and pray yonder.'*' Or as Abraham to his servants. 
when he went to offer Isaac, " Abide ye here, and I will 
go yonder and worship, and come again to you.'"'" Even 
as the priests thrust king Uzziah out of the temple, where 
he presumed to burn incense, when they saw the leprosy 
upon him : so do thou thrust those thoughts from the 






315 

temple of thy heart, which have the badge of God's pro- 
hibition upon them. 

21. (2.) Be sure to set upon this work with the greatest 
solemnity of heart and mind. There is no trifling in holy 
things. " God will be sanctified in them that come nigh 
him." These spiritual, excellent, soul-raising duties, are, 
if well used, most profitable ; but when used unfaithfully, 
most dangerous. Labor, therefore, to have the deepest 
apprehensions of the presence of God, and his incompre- 
hensible greatness. If queen Esther must not draw near, 
"till the king hold out the sceptre;" think, then, with 
what reverence thou shouldst approach him, who made 
the worlds with the word of his mouth, who upholds the 
earth as in the palm of his hand, who keeps the sun, 
moon, and stars in their courses, and who sets bounds to 
the raging sea. Thou art going to converse with him, 
before whom the earth will quake, and the devils do 
tremble, and at whose bar thou and all the world must 
shortly stand, and be finally judged. O think ! " I shall 
then have lively apprehensions of his majesty. My drowsy 
spirits will then be awakened, and my irreverence be laid 
aside ; and why should I not now be roused with the sense 
of his greatness, and the dread of his name possess my 
soul 1 " Labor also to apprehend the greatness of the 
work which thou attemptest, and to be deeply sensible 
both of its importance and excellency. If thou wast 
pleading for thy life at the bar of an earthly judge, thou 
wouldst be serious, and yet that would be a trifle to this. 
If thou wast engaged in such a work as David against 
Goliath, on which the welfare of a kingdom depended ; in 
itself considered, it were nothing to this. Suppose thou 
wast going to such a wrestling as Jacob's, or to see the 
sight which the three disciples saw in the mount, how 
seriously, how reverently, wouldst thou both approach and 
behold ! If but an angel from heaven should appoint to 



316 

meet thee, at the same time and place of thy contempla- 
tions ; with what dread wouldst thou be filled ! Consider, 
then, with what a spirit thou shouldst meet the Lord, and 
with what seriousness and awe thou shouldst daily con- 
verse with him. Consider also the blessed issue of the 
work : if it succeed, it will be thy admission into the pre- 
sence of God, and the beginning of thy eternal glory on 
earth ; a means to make thee live above the rate of other 
men, and fix thee in the next room to the angels themselves, 
that thou mayest both live and die joyfully. The prize 
being so great, thy preparations should be answerable. 
There is none on earth live such a life of joy and blessed- 
ness, as those that are acquainted with this heavenly con- 
versation. The joys of all other men are but like a child's 
play, a fool's laughter, or a sick man's dream of health, 
He that trades for heaven is the only gainer, and he that 
neglects it is the only loser. How seriously, therefore, 
should this work be done ! 



317 



CHAPTER XIV. 

What use heavenly Contemplation makes of Conside- 
ration, Affections, Soliloquy, and Prayer. 

Sect. 1, The reader is invited to engage in heavenly contemplation ; 
2. and to that, end is, (I.) directed in the use of consideration; 
3 — 8. the great influence of which over the heart is represented 
in several instances : 9. Then, (II.) it is shown how heavenly- 
contemplation is promoted by the affections ; particularly 10 — 12. 
(1.) by love, 13. (2.) desire, 14. (3.) hope, 15. (4.) courage, or 
boldness, 16 — 18. and (5.) joy. 19. A caution is added concern- 
ing this exercise of the affections. 20 — 22. (HI.) The chapter 
concludes with some account of the usefulness of soliloquy and 
prayer, in heavenly contemplation. 

1. Having set thy heart in tune, we now come to the 
music itself. Having got an appetite, now approach to 
the feast, and delight thy soul as with marrow and fatness. 
Come, for all things are now ready. Heaven and Christ, 
and the exceeding weight of glory are before you. Do 
not make light of this invitation, nor begin to make 
excuses ; whatever thou art, rich or poor, though in alms- 
houses or hospitals, though in highways and hedges, my 
commission is, if possible, to compel you to come in ; and 
blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God ! 
The manna lieth about your tents ; walk out, gather it up, 
take it home, and feed upon it. In order to this I am 
only to direct you — how to use your consideration — and 
affections — your soliloquy, and prayer. 

2. (I.) Consideration is the great instrument by which 
this heavenly work is carried on. This must be volun- 

28 



318 

tary, and not forced. Some men consider unwillingly ; so 
God will make the wicked consider their sins, when he 
shall " set them in order before their eyes ;" so shall the 
damned consider of the excellency of Christ, whom they 
once despised, and of the eternal joys which they have 
foolishly lost. Great is the power which consideration 
hath for moving the affections, and impressing things on 
the heart ; as will appear by the following particulars. 

3. (1.) Consideration, as it were, opens the door be- 
tween the head and the heart. The understanding having 
received truths, lays them up in the memory, and consid- 
eration conveys them from thence to the affections. What 
excellency would there be in much learning and know- 
ledge, if the obstructions between the head and the heart 
were but opened, and the affections did but correspond to 
the understanding ! He is usually the best scholar, whose 
apprehension is quick, clear, and tenacious ; but he is 
usually the best Christian, whose apprehension is the 
deepest and most affectionate, and who has the readiest 
passages, not so much from the ear to the brain, as from 
that to the heart. And though the Spirit be the principal 
cause ; yet on our part, this passage must be opened by 
consideration. 

4. (2.) Consideration presents to the affections those 
things which are most important. The most delightful 
object does not entertain where it is not seen, nor the 
most joyful news affect him that does not hear it ; but 
consideration presents to our view those things which 
were as absent, and brings them to the eye and ear of the 
soul. Are not Christ and glory affecting objects ? Would 
they not work wonders upon the soul, if they were but 
clearly discovered, and our apprehensions of them were in 
some measure answerable to their worth ? It is consid- 
eration that presents them to us : this is the Christian's 
perspective, by which he can see from earth to heaven. 



319 

5. (3.) Consideration also presents the most important 
things in the most affecting way. Consideration reasons 
the case with a man's own heart. When a believer would 
reason his heart to heavenly contemplation, how many 
arguments offer themselves from God to Christ, from each 
of the divine perfections, from our former and present 
state, from promises, from present sufferings and enjoy- 
ments, from hell and heaven. Every thing offers itself to 
promote our joy, and consideration is the hand to draw 
them all out ; it adds one reason to another, till the scales 
turn : this it does when persuading to joy, till it hath 
silenced all our distrust and sorrows, and your cause for 
rejoicing lies plain before you. If another's reasoning is 
powerful with us, though we are not certain whether he 
intends to inform or deceive us, how much more should 
our own reasoning prevail with us, when we are so well 
acquainted with our own intentions ? Nay how much 
more should God's reasoning work upon us, which we are 
sure cannot deceive, or be deceived ? Now, consideration 
is but the reading over, and repeating God's reasons to our 
hearts. As the prodigal had many and strong reasons to 
plead with himself, why he should return to his father's 
house, so have we to plead with our affections, to persuade 
them to our Father's everlasting mansion. 

6. (4.) Consideration exalts reason to its just authority. 
It helps to deliver it from its captivity to the senses, and 
sets it again on the throne of the soul. When reason is 
silent, it is usually subject; for when it is asleep, the 
senses domineer. But consideration awakes our reason, 
till, like Samson, it rouses up itself, and breaks the bonds 
of sensuality, and bears down the delusions of the flesh. 
What strength can the lion exert while asleep ? What is 
a king, when dethroned, more than another man ? Spir- 
itual reason, excited by meditation, and not fancy or fleshly 
sense, must judge of heavenly joys. Consideration exalts 



320 

the objects of faith, and comparatively disgraces the objects 
of sense. The most inconsiderate men are most sensual. 
It is too easy and common to sin against knowledge, 
but against sober, strong, persevering consideration, men 
seldom offend. 

7. (5.) Consideration makes reason strong and active. 
Before, it was a standing water, but now as a stream, 
which violently bears down all before it. Before, it was 
as the stones in the brook, but now like that out of David's 
sling, which smites the Goliath of our unbelief in the 
forehead. As wicked men continue wicked, because they 
bring not reason into act and exercise ; so godly men are 
uncomfortable, because they let their reason and faith lie 
asleep, and do not stir them up to action by this work of 
meditation. What fears, sorrows, and joys will our very 
dreams excite ! How much more, then, would serious 
meditation affect us 1 

8. (6.) Consideration can continue and persevere in 
this rational employment. Meditation holds reason and 
faith to their work, and blows the fire till it thoroughly 
burns. To run a few steps will not get a man heat, but 
walking an hour may ; and though a sudden occasional 
thought of heaven will not raise our affections to any 
spiritual heat, yet meditation can continue our thoughts 
till our hearts grow warm. Thus you see the powerful 
tendency of consideration to produce this great elevation 
of the soul in heavenly contemplation. 

9. (II.) Let us next see how this heavenly work is pro- 
moted by the particular exercise of the affections. — It is 
by consideration that we first have recourse to the memory, 
and from thence take those heavenly doctrines which we 
intend to make the subject of our meditation : such as 
promises of eternal life, descriptions of the saints' glory, 
the resurrection, &c. &:c. We then present them to our 
judgment, that it may deliberately view them over, and 



321 

take an exact survey, and determine uprightly concerning 
the perfection of our celestial happiness, against all the 
dictates of flesh and sense, and so as to magnify the Lord 
in our hearts, till we are filled with a holy admiration. — 
But the principal thing is to exercise, not merely our judg- 
ment, but our faith in the truth of our everlasting rest; 
by which I mean, both the truth of the promises, and of 
our own personal interest in them, and title to them. ' If 
we did really and firmly believe, that there is such a glory, 
and that within a few days our eyes shall behold it, O 
what passions would it raise within us ! What astonishing 
apprehensions of that life would it produce ! What love, 
what longing would it excite within us ! O how it would 
actuate every affection ! How it would transport us with 
joy, upon the least assurance of our title ! Never expect 
to have love and joy move, when faith stands still, which 
must lead the way. Therefore daily exercise faith, and 
set before it the freeness of the promise, God's urging all 
to accept it, Christ's gracious disposition, all the evidences 
of the love of Christ, his faithfulness to his engagements, 
and the evidences of his love in ourselves ; lay all these 
together, and think, whether they do not testify the good 
will of the Lord concerning our salvation, and may not 
properly be pleaded against our unbelief. — Thus, when 
the judgment hath determined, and faith hath apprehended 
the truth of our happiness, then may our meditation pro- 
ceed to raise our affections, and particularly — love — desire 
— hope — courage, or boldness — and joy. 

10. (1.) Love is the first affection to be excited in 
heavenly contemplation : the object of it is goodness. 
Here, Christian, is the soul-reviving part of thy work. Go 
to thy memory, thy judgment, and thy faith, and from 
them produce the excellencies of thy rest ; present these 
to thy affection of love, and thou wilt find thyself, as it 
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322 

were, in another world. Speak out, and love can hear. 
Do but reveal these things, and love can see. It is the 
brutish love of the world that is blind : divine love is ex- 
ceeding quick-sighted. Let thy faith take hold of thy 
heart, and show it the sumptuous buildings of thy eternal 
habitation, and the glorious ornaments of thy Father's 
house, even the mansions Christ is preparing, and the 
honors of his kingdom ; let thy faith lead thy heart into 
the presence of God, and as near as thou possibly canst, 
and say to it, " Behold the Ancient of Days, the Lord 
Jehovah, whose name is, I AM : this is he, who made all 
the worlds with his word, who upholds the earth, who 
rules the nations, who disposes of all events, who subdues 
his foes, who controls the swelling waves of the sea, who 
governs the winds, and causes the sun to run its race, and 
the stars to know their courses. This is he who loved 
thee from everlasting, formed thee in the womb, gave thee 
this soul, brought thee forth, showed thee the light, and 
ranked thee with the chief of his earthly creatures : who 
endued thee with thy understanding, and beautified thee 
with his gifts ; who maintains thy life and all its comforts, 
and distinguishes thee from the most miserable and vilest 
of men. O here is an object worthy thy love ! Here 
shouldst thou even pour out thy soul in love ! Here it is 
impossible for thee to love too much ! This is the Lord 
who hath blessed thee with his benefits, spread thy table 
in the sight of thine enemies, and made thy cup overflow I 
This is he whom angels and saints praise, and the 
heavenly hosts for ever magnify ! " Thus do thou ex- 
patiate on the praises of God, and open his excellencies to 
thine heart, till the holy fire of love begins to kindle in 
thy breast. 

11. If thou feelest thy love not yet burn, lead thy heart 
farther, and show it the Son of the living God, whose name 
is, " Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the ever- 



323 

lasting Father, the Prince of peace : " show it the King 
of saints on the throne of his glory, "the First and the 
Last ; who is, and was, and is to come ; who liveth, and 
was dead, and behold he lives for evermore ; who hath 
made thy peace by the blood of his cross," and hath pre- 
pared thee with himself a habitation of peace : His office 
is the great Peace-maker ; His kingdom is the kingdom 
of peace ; His gospel is the tidings of peace ; His voice to 
thee now is the voice of peace ! Draw near, and behold 
him. Dost . thou not hear his voice ? He that bade 
Thomas come near, and see the print of the nails, and 
put his finger into his wounds ; He it is that calls to thee, 
" Come near, and view the Lord thy Saviour, and be not 
faithless, but believing ; Peace be unto thee, fear not, it 
is 1." Look well upon him. Dost thou not know him ? 
It is he that brought thee up from the pit of hell, reversed 
the sentence of thy damnation, bore the curse which thou 
shouldst have borne, restored thee to the blessing thou 
hadst forfeited, and purchased the advancement which 
thou must inherit for ever. And dost thou not yet know 
him 1 His hands were pierced, his head, his" side, his 
heart were pierced, that by these marks thou mightest 
always know him. Dost thou not remember when he 
found thee lying in thy blood, and took pity on thee, and 
dressed thy wounds, and brought thee home, and said unto 
thee, Live. Hast thou forgotten since he wounded him- 
self to cure thy wounds, and let out his own blood to stop 
thy bleeding 1 If thou knowest him not by the face, the 
voice, the hands, thou mayest know him by that heart : 
that soul-pitying heart is his ; it can be none but his : love 
and compassion are its certain signatures : this is he, who 
chose thy life before his own ; who pleads his blood before 
his Father, and makes continual intercession for thee. If 
he had not suffered, what hadst thou suffered? There 
was but a step between thee and hell, when he stepped in, 



324 

and bore the stroke. And is not here fuel enough for thy 
love to feed on ? Doth not thy throbbing heart stop here 
to ease itself, and, like Joseph, " seek for a place to weep 
in? " or do not the tears of thy love bedew these lines? 
Go on, then, for the field of love is large ; it will be thy 
eternal work to behold and love ; nor needest thou want 
work for thy present meditation. 

12. How often hath thy Lord found thee like Hagar, 
sitting and weeping, and giving up thy soul for lost, and 
he opened to thee a well of consolation, and also opened 
thine eyes to see it ! How often, in the posture of Elijah, 
desiring to die out of thy misery, and he hath spread thee 
a table of unexpected relief, and sent thee on his work 
refreshed and encouraged ! How often, in the case of 
the prophet's servants, crying out, " Alas ! what shall we 
do, for a host doth encompass us;" and he hath "opened 
thine eyes to see more for thee than against thee ! " How 
often, like Jonah, peevish, and weary of thy life, and he 
hath, mildly said, " Dost thou well to be angry " with me, 
or murmur against me? How often hath he set thee 
on watching and praying, repenting and believing, " and 
when he hath returned, hath found thee asleep," and yet.he 
hath covered thy neglect with a mantle of love, and gently 
pleaded for thee, that "the spirit is willing but the flesh is 
weak?" Can thy heart be cold, when thou thinkest of 
this? Can it contain, when thou rememberest those 
boundless compassions ? Thus, Reader, hold forth the 
goodness of Christ to thy heart; plead thus with thy 
frozen soul, till, with David, thou canst say, " My heart 
was hot within me ; while I was musing, the fire burned." 
If this will not rouse up thy love, thou hast all Christ's 
personal excellencies to add; all his particular mercies to 
thyself, all his sweet and near relations to thee, and the 
happiness of thy everlasting abode with him. Only follow 
them close to thy heart ; Deal with it, as Christ did with 






325 

Peter, when he thrice asked him, " Lovest thou me ? " till 
he was grieved, and answers, " Lord, thou knowest that I 
love thee." So grieve and shame thy heart out of its 
stupidity, till thou canst truly say, " I know, and my Lord 
knows, that I love him." 

13. (2.) The next affection to be excited in heavenly 
contemplation, is desire. The object of it is goodness 
considered as absent, or not yet attained. If love be hot, 
desire will not be cold. Think with thyself, " What 
have I seen 1 O the incomprehensible glory ! O the 
transcendant beauty ! O blessed souls that now enjoy it ! 
who see a thousand times more clearly what I have seen 
at a distance, and through dark interposing clouds ! 
What a difference between my state and theirs ! I am 
sighing, and they are singing ; I am offending, and they 
are pleasing God. I am a spectacle of pity, like a Job or 
a Lazarus, but they are perfect, and without blemish. I 
am here entangled in the love of the world, while they are 
swallowed up in the love of God. They have none of my 
cares and fears : they weep not in secret ; they languish 
not in sorrows: these "tears are wiped away from their 
eyes." O happy, a thousand times happy souls ! Alas, 
that I must dwell in sinful flesh, when my brethren and 
companions dwell with God ! How far out of sight and 
reach of their high enjoyment do I here live ! What 
poor feeble thoughts have I of God ! What cold affections 
towards him ! How little have I of that life, that love, 
that joy, in which they continually live ! How soon doth 
that little depart, and leave me in thicker darkness ! 
Now and then a spark falls upon my heart, and while I 
gaze upon it, it dies, or rather my cold heart quenches it. 
But they have their light in his light, and drink continually 
at the spring of joys. Here we are vexing each other 
with quarrels, when they are of one heart and voice, and 
daily sound forth the hallelujahs of heaven with perfect 



326 

harmony. O what a feast hath my faith beheld, and what 
a famine is yet in my spirit ! O blessed souls ! I may not, 
I dare not, envy your happiness ; I rather rejoice in my 
brother's prosperity, and am glad to think of the day 
when I shall be admitted into your fellowship. I wish not 
to displace you, but to be so happy as to be with you. 
Why must I stay, and weep, and wait? My Lord is gone i 
he hath left this earth, and is entered into his glory : my 
brethren are gone ; my friends are there ; my house, my 
hope, my all, is there. When I am so far distant from 
my God, wonder not what aileth me, for I now complain : 
an ignorant Micah will do so for his idol, and shall not 
my soul do so for the living God? Had I no hope of 
enjoyment, I would go hide myself in the deserts, and lie 
and howl in some obscure wilderness, and spend my days 
in fruitless wishes ; but since it is the land of my promised 
rest, and the state I must myself be advanced to, and my 
soul draws near, and is almost at it, I will love and long, 
I will look and desire, I will be breathing. " How long, 
Lord! how long wilt thou suffer this soul to pant and 
groan, and not open to him who waits, and longs to be 
with thee!" Thus, Christian Reader, let thy thoughts 
aspire, till thy soul longs, as David, " O that one would 
give me to drink of the wells of salvation ! " And till 
thou canst say as he did, " I have longed for thy salvation, 
O Lord ! " And as the mother and brethren of Christ, 
when they could not come at him, because of the mul- 
titude, sent to him, saying, " Thy mother and brethren 
stand without, desiring to see thee;" so let thy message 
to him be, and he will own thee ; for he hath said, " They 
that hear my word, and do it, are my mother and my 
brethren." 

14. (3.) Another affection to be exercised in heavenly 
contemplation, is hope. This helps to support the soul 
under sufferings, animates it to the greatest difficulties, 



gives it firmness in the most shaking trials, enlivens it in 
duties, and is the very spring that sets all the wheels 
a-going. Who would believe or strive for heaven, if it 
were not for the hope that he hath to obtain it ? Who 
would pray, but for the hope to prevail with God ? If 
your hope dies, your duties die, your endeavors die, your 
joys die, and your soul dies. And if your hope be not in 
exercise; but asleep, it is next to dead. Therefore, 
Christian Reader, when thou art winding up thy affections 
to heaven, forget not to give one lift to thy hope. Think 
thus, and reason thus with thy own heart : " Why should 
I not confidently and comfortably hope, when my soul is 
in the hands of so compassionate a Saviour, and when the 
kingdom is at the disposal of so bountiful a God ? Did 
he ever discover the least backwardness to my good, or 
inclination to my ruin? Hath he not sworn, that he 
delights not in the death of him that dieth, but rather that 
he should repent and live ? Have not all his dealings 
witnessed the same ? Did he not mind me of my danger, 
when I never feared it, because he would have me escape 
it? Did he not mind me of my happiness, when I had 
no thoughts of it, because he would have me enjoy it ? 
How often hath he drawn me to himself, and his Christ, 
when I have drawn backward! How hath his Spirit 
incessantly solicited my heart ! And would he have done 
all this, if he had been willing that I should perish? 
Should I not hope, if an honest man had promised me 
something in his power ? And shall I not hope, when I 
have the covenant and oath of God ? It is true, the glory 
is out of sight; we have not beheld the mansions of the 
saints; but is not the promise of God more certain than 
our sight ? We must not be saved by sight, but ' by hope, 
and hope that is seen is not hope ; for what a man seeth, 
why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we 
see not, then do we with patience wait for it.' I have 



328 

been ashamed of my hope in an arm of flesh, but hope in 
the promise of God maketh not ashamed. In my greatest 
sufferings, I will say, ' The Lord is my portion ; therefore 
will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that 
wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good 
that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the 
salvation of the Lord. For the Lord will not cast off for 
ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have com- 
passion, according to the multitude of his mercies.' 
Though I languish and die, yet will I hope ; for ' the 
righteous hath hope in his death.' Though I must lie 
down in dust and darkness, yet there ' my flesh shall rest 
in hope.' And when my flesh hath nothing to rejoice in, 
yet will I ' hold fast the rejoicing of the hope firm unto 
the end ; ' for the hope of the righteous shall be gladness. 
Indeed, if I was myself to satisfy divine justice, then 
there had been no hope : but Christ hath brought in a 
better hope, ' by which we drew nigh unto God. 5 Or, if 
I had to do with a feeble creature, there were small hope ; 
for how could he raise this body from the dust, and lift 
me above the sun? But what is this to the Almighty 
Power, which made the heavens and the earth out of 
nothing ? Cannot that power which raised Christ from 
the dead, raise me ? and that which hath glorified the 
Head, glorify also the members ? Doubtless, by the blood 
of his covenant, God will send forth his prisoners out of 
the pit, wherein is no water ; therefore will I ' turn to the 
strong-hold, as a prisoner of hope.' " 

15. (4.) Courage or boldness is another affection to be 
exercised in heavenly contemplation. It leadeth to resolu- 
tion, and concludeth in action. When you have raised 
your love, desire, and hope, go on, and think thus with 
yourself — " Will God indeed dwell with men 1 And is 
there such a glory within the reach of hope ? Why then 
do I not lay hold upon it ? Where is the cheerful vigor 



329 

of my spirit ? Why do I not gird up the loins of my 
mind? Why do not I set upon my enemies on every 
side, and valiantly break through all resistance ? What 
should stop me, or intimidate me ? Is God with me, or 
against me in the work 1 Will Christ stand by me, or 
will he not ? If God and Christ be for me, who can be 
against me ? In the work of sin, almost all things are 
ready to help us, and only God and his servants are against 
us, yet how ill doth that work prosper in our hands ! But 
in my course to heaven, almost all things are against me, 
but God is for me ; and therefore how happily doth the 
work succeed ! Do I set upon this work in my own 
strength, or rather in the strength of Christ my Lord? 
And ' cannot I do all things through him that strengthens 
me ? ' Was he ever foiled by an enemy ? He hath indeed 
been assaulted ; but was he ever conquered ? Why then 
doth my flesh urge me with the difficulties of the work ? 
Is any thing too hard for Omnipotence ? May not Peter 
boldly walk on the sea, if Christ give the word of com- 
mand? If he begin to sink, is it from the weakness of 
Christ, or the smallness of his faith ? Do I not well 
deserve to be turned into hell, if mortal threats can drive 
me thither? Do I not well deserve to be shut out of 
heaven, if I will be frightened from thence with the re- 
proach of tongues ? What if it were father, or mother, or 
husband, or wife, or the nearest friend I have in the world, 
if they may be called friends that would draw me to dam- 
nation, should I not forsake all that would keep me from 
Christ ? Will their friendship countervail the enmity of 
God, or be any comfort to my condemned soul ? Shall I 
be yielding to the desires of men, and only harden myself 
against the Lord ? Let them beseech me upon their 
knees, I will scorn to stop my course to behold them ; I 
will shut my ears to their cries : let them flatter or frown ; 
29 



330 

let them draw out tongues and swords against me ; I am 
resolved in the strength of Christ to break through, and 
look upon them as dust. If they would entice me with 
preferment, even with the kingdoms of the world, I will 
no more regard them than the dung of the earth. O 
blessed rest ! O glorious state ! Who would sell thee for 
dreams and shadows ? Who would be enticed or affrighted 
from thee 1 Who would not strive, and fight, and watch, 
and run, and that with violence, even to the last breath, 
in order to obtain thee ? Surely none but those that know 
thee not, and believe not thy glory." 

16. (5.) The last affection to be exercised in heavenly 
contemplation, is joy. Love, desire, hope, and courage, 
all tend to raise our joy. This is so desirable to every 
man by nature, and so essentially necessary to constitute 
our happiness, that I hope I need not say much to per- 
suade you to any thing that would make your life delight- 
ful. Supposing you therefore already convinced that the 
pleasures of the flesh are brutish and perishing, and that 
your solid and lasting joy must be from heaven, instead of 
persuading, I shall proceed in directing. Reader, if thou 
hast managed well the former work, thou art got. within 
sight of thy rest — thou believest the truth of it — thou art 
convinced of its excellency — thou art fallen in love with 
it — thou longest after it — thou hopest for it — and thou art 
resolved to venture courageously for obtaining it. But is 
there any work for joy in this ? We delight in the good 
we possess ; it is present good that is the object of joy : 
and thou wilt say, " Alas, I am yet without it!" But 
think a little further with thyself. Is it nothing to have a 
deed of gift from God 1 Are his infallible promises no 
ground of joy 1 Is it nothing to live in daily expectations 
of entering into the kingdom 1 Is not my assurance of 
being hereafter glorified, a sufficient ground for inexpressi- 
ble joy ? Is it not a delight to the heir of a kingdom to 



331 

think of what he must soon possess, though at present he 
little differ from a servant ? Have we not both command 
and example, for " rejoicing in hope of the glory of God % " 
17. Here then, Reader, take thy heart once more, and 
carry it to the top of the highest mount ; show it the king- 
dom of Christ, and the glory of it ; and say to it, " All this 
will thy Lord give thee who hast believed in him, and 
been a worshipper of him. * It is the Father's good plea- 
sure to give thee this kingdom.' Seest thou this astonish- 
ing glory which is above thee 1 All this is thy own inher- 
itance. This crown is thine, these pleasures are thine ; 
this company, this beautiful place, are all thine ; because 
thou art Christ's, and Christ is thine : when thou wast 
united to him, thou hadst all these with him." Thus take 
thy heart into the land of promise ; show it the pleasant 
hills and fruitful valleys ; show it the clusters of grapes 
which thou hast gathered, to convince it that it is a blessed 
land, flowing with better than milk and honey. Enter the 
gates of the holy city, walk through the streets of the new 
Jerusalem, " walk about Sion, and go round about her ; 
tell the towers thereof: mark well her bulwarks ; consider 
her palaces; that thou mayest tell it to" thy soul. Hath 
it not the glory of God, and is not her light like unto a 
stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as 
crystal ? See the " twelve foundations of her walls, and 
in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 
And the building of the walls of it are of jasper; and the 
city is pure gold, like unto clear glass ; and the founda- 
tions are garnished with all manner of precious stones. 
And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, every several gate 
is of one pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, as it 
were transparent glass. There is no temple in it ; for the 
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, are the temple of it. 
It hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon in it, for 
the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the 



332 

light thereof; and the nations of them which are saved 
shall walk in the light of it. These sayings are faithful 
and true ; and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his 
angels," and his own Son, " to show unto his servants the 
things which must shortly be done." Say now to all this, 
" This is thy rest, O my soul ! And this must be the 
place of thy everlasting habitation. Let all the sons of 
Sion rejoice ; let the daughters of Jerusalem be glad ; for 
great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of 
our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for 
situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Sion. God 
is known in her palaces for a refuge." 

18. Yet proceed on. The soul that loves, ascends 
frequently and runs familiarly through the streets of the 
heavenly Jerusalem, visiting the patriarchs and prophets,, 
saluting the apostles, and admiring the armies of martyrs ; 
so do thou lead on thy heart as from street to street; bring' 
it into the palace of the Great King : lead it, as it were, 
from chamber to chamber. Say to it, "Here must I 
lodge : here must I live ; here must I praise ; here 
must I love, and be beloved. I must shortly be one of 
this heavenly choir, and be better skilled in the music, 
Among this blessed company must I take up my place ; 
my voice must join to make up the melody. My tears 
must then be wiped away ; my groans be turned to 
another tune; my cottage of clay be changed to this 
palace ; my prison rags to these splendid robes ; and my 
sordid flesh shall be put off, and such a sun-like spiritual 
body be put on ; ' for the former things are here passed 
away.' ' Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of 
God ! ' When I look upon this glorious place, what a 
dunghill and dungeon methinks is earth ! O what dif- 
ference betwixt a man feeble, pained, groaning, dying, 
rotting in the grave, and one of these triumphant shining 
saints ! Here shall I drink of the river of pleasures, the 



333 

streams whereof make glad the city of God. Must Israel, 
under the bondage of the law serve the Lord i with joy- 
fulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of 
all things 1 ' Surely I shall serve him with joyfulness 
and gladness of heart, for the abundance of glory. 
Did persecuted saints ' take joyfully the spoiling of 
their goods ? ' And shall not I take joyfully such a full 
reparation of all my losses ? Was it a celebrated ' day 
wherein the Jews rested from their enemies,' because it 
'was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from 
mourning into a good day 1 ' What a day then will that 
be to my soul, whose rest and change will be inconceivably 
greater! 'When the wise men saw the star' that led 
to Christ, ' they rejoiced with exceeding great joy ; ' but I 
shall shortly see him, who is himself ' the bright and 
morning Star.' If the disciples ' departed from the 
sepulchre with great joy,' when they had but heard that 
their Lord ' was risen from the dead ; ' what will be my 
joy, when I shall see him reigning in glory, and myself 
raised to a blessed communion with him ! Then shall I 
indeed have ' beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, 
and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; ' 
and Sion shall be made ' an eternal excellency, a joy of 
many generations.' Why then do I not arise from the 
dust and cease my complaints 1 Why do I not trample 
on vain delights, and feed on the foreseen delights of 
glory? Why is not my life a continual joy, and the 
savor of heaven perpetually upon my spirit? " 

19. Let me here observe, that there is no necessity to 
exercise these affections, either exactly in this order, or 
all at one time. Sometimes one of thy affections may 
need more exciting, or may be more lively than the rest ; 
or if thy time be short, one may be exercised one day and 
another upon the next; all which must be left to thy 
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334 

prudence to determine. Thou hast also an opportunity 7 
if inclined to ma'ke use of it, to exercise opposite and 
more mixed affections; such as — hatred of sin, which 
would deprive thy soul of these immortal joys — godly fear, 
lest thou shouldst abuse thy mercy — godly shame and 
grief for having abused it— unfeigned repentance — self- 
indignation — jealousy over thy heart — and pity for those 
who are in danger of losing these immortal joys. 

20. (III.) We are also to take notice, how heavenly 
contemplation is promoted by soliloquy and prayer. 
Though consideration be the chief instrument in this 
work, yet, by itself, it is not likely to affect the heart. In 
this respect, contemplation is like preaching, where the 
mere explaining of truths and duties is seldom attended 
with such success, as the lively application of them to the 
conscience ; and especially when a divine blessing is 
earnestly sought for to accompany such application. 

21. (1.) By soliloquy, or a pleading the case with thy- 
self, thou must in thy meditation quicken thy own heart. 
Enter into a serious debate with it. Plead with it in the 
most moving and affecting language, and urge it with the 
most powerful and weighty arguments. It is what holy 
men of God have practised in all ages. Thus David, 
« Why art thou cast down, O my soul 1 And why art 
thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in God ; for I 
shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, 
and my God." And again, "Bless the Lord, O my soul 1 
and all that is within me, bless his holy name ! Bless the 
Lord, O my soul ! and forget not all his benefits I" This 
soliloquy is to be made use of according to the several 
affections of the soul, and according to its several neces- 
sities. It is a preaching to one's self; for as every good 
master or father of a family is a good preacher to his own 
family ; so every good Christian is a good preacher to his 
own soul. Therefore the very same method which a 






335 

minister should use in his preaching to others, every 
Christian should endeavor after in speaking to himself. 
Observe the matter and manner of the most heart-affecting 
minister ; let him be as a pattern for your imitation ; and 
the same way that he takes with the hearts of his people, 
do thou also take with thy own heart. Do this in thy 
heavenly contemplation ; explain to thyself the things on 
which thou dost meditate ; confirm thy faith in them by 
Scripture : and then apply them to thyself, according to 
their nature, and thy own necessity. There is no need 
to object against this, from a sense of thy own inability. 
Doth not God command thee to " teach the Scriptures 
diligently unto thy children, and talk of them when thou 
sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, 
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up?" 
And if thou must have some ability to teach thy children, 
much more to teach thyself; and if thou canst talk of 
divine things to others why not also to thy own heart ? 

22. (2.) Heavenly contemplation is also promoted by 
speaking to God in prayer, as well as by speaking to 
ourselves in soliloquy. Ejaculatory prayer may very 
properly be intermixed with meditation as a part of the 
duty. How often do we find David, in the same psalm, 
sometimes pleading with his soul, and sometimes with 
God ! The apostle bids us "speak to ourselves in psalms, 
and hymns, and spiritual songs ; " and no doubt - we may 
also speak to God in them. This keeps the soul sensible 
of the divine presence, and tends greatly to quicken and 
raise it. As God is the highest object of our thoughts, so 
our viewing of him, speaking to him, and pleading with 
him, more elevates the soul, and excites the affections, 
than any other part of meditation. Though we remain 
unaffected, while we plead the case with ourselves : yet, 
when we turn our speech to God, it may strike us with 
awe ; and the holiness and majesty of him whom we 



336 

speak to, may cause both the matter and words to pierce 
thee deeper. When we read, that " Isaac went out to 
meditate in the field," the margin says, "to pray;" for 
the Hebrew word signifies both. Thus in our meditations, 
to intermix soliloquy and prayer ; sometimes speaking to 
our own hearts, and sometimes to God, is, I apprehend, 
the highest step we can advance to in this heavenly work. 
Nor should we imagine it will be as well to take up with 
prayer alone, and lay aside meditation ; for they are 
distinct duties, and must both of them be performed. We 
need one as well as the other, and therefore shall wrong 
ourselves by neglecting either. Besides, the mixture of 
them, like music, will be more engaging ; as the one 
serves to put life into the other. And our speaking to 
ourselves in meditation, should go before our speaking to 
God in prayer. For want of attending to this due order, 
men speak to God with far less reverence and affection 
than they would speak to an angel, if he should appear to 
them ; or to a judge, if they were speaking for their lives. 
Speaking to the God of heaven in prayer, is a weightier 
duty than most are aware of. 



337 



CHAPTER XV. 

Heavenly Contemplation assisted by sensible Objects, 
and guarded against a treacherous Heart. 

Sect. 1. As it is difficult to maintain a lively impression of heavenly 
things, therefore, 2. (I.) Heavenly contemplation may be assisted 
by sensible objects ; 3. (1.) If we draw strong suppositions from 
sense; and, 4 — 11. (2.) If we compare the objects of sense with 
the objects of faith, several instances of which are produced. 12. 
(II.) Heavenly contemplation may also be guarded against a 
treacherous heart, by considering 13, 14. (1.) The great back- 
wardness of the heart to this duty; 15. (2.) its trifling in it; 16. 
(3.) its wandering from it, and 17. (4.) its too abruptly putting 
an end to it. 

1. The most difficult part of heavenly contemplation, 
is to maintain a lively sense of heavenly things upon our 
hearts. It is easier, merely to think of heaven a whole 
day, than to be lively and affectionate in those thoughts a 
quarter of an hour. Faith is imperfect, for we are re- 
newed but in part; and goes against a world of resistance; 
and, being supernatural, is prone to decline and languish, 
unless it be continually excited. Sense is strong, ac- 
cording to the strength of the flesh ; and being natural, 
continues while nature continues. The objects of faith 
are far off; but those of sense are nigh. We must go as 
far as heaven for our joys. To rejoice in what we never 
saw, nor ever knew the man that did see, and this upon a 
mere promise in the Bible, is not so easy as to rejoice in 
what we see and possess. It must therefore be a point of 
spiritual prudence, to call in sense to the assistance of 
faith. It will be a good work, if we can make friends of 



338 

these usual enemies, and make them instruments for 
raising us to God, which are so often the means of 
drawing us from him. Why hath God given us either 
our senses, or their common objects, if they might not be 
serviceable to his praise ? Why doth the Holy Spirit 
describe the glory of the New Jerusalem, in expressions 
that are even grateful to the flesh ? Is it that we might 
think heaven to be made of gold and pearl? or that saints 
and angels eat and drink 1 No : but to help us to con- 
ceive of them as we are able, and to use these borrowed 
phrases as a glass, in which we must see the things 
themselves imperfectly represented, till we come to the 
immediate and perfect sight. — And besides showing how 
heavenly contemplation may be assisted by sensible ob- 
jects, — this chapter will also show how it may be pre- 
served from a wandering heart. 

2. (I.) In order that heavenly contemplation may be 
assisted by sensible objects, let me only advise to draw 
strong suppositions from sense, — and to compare the 
objects of sense with the objects of faith. 

3. (1.) For the helping of thy affections in heavenly 
contemplation, draw as strong suppositions as possible 
from thy senses. Think on the joys above, as boldly as 
Scripture hath expressed them. Bring down thy con- 
ceptions to the reach of sense. Both love and joy are 
promoted by familiar acquaintance. When we attempt to 
think of God and glory, without the Scripture manner of 
representing them, we are lost and have nothing to fix 
our thoughts upon ; we set them so far from us, that our 
thoughts are strange, and we are ready to say, " What is 
above us, is nothing to us." To conceive of God and 
glory, only as above our conception, will beget but little 
love ; or as above our love, will produce little joy. ' 
Therefore put Christ no farther from you than he hath 
put himself, lest the divine nature be again inaccessible, 



339 

Think of Christ as in our own glorified nature. Think 
of glorified saints, as men made perfect. Suppose thyself 
a companion with John, in his survey of the New 
Jerusalem, and viewing the thrones, the majesty, the 
heavenly hosts, the shining splendor, which he saw. 
Suppose thyself his fellow-traveller into the celestial 
kingdom, and that thou hadst seen all the saints in their 
white robes, with palms in their hands ; and that thou 
hadst heard those " songs of Moses and of the Lamb." 
If thou hadst really seen and heard these things, in what a 
rapture wouldst thou have been ? And the more seriously 
thou puttest this supposition to thyself, the more will 
meditation elevate thy heart. Do not, like the Papists, 
draw them in pictures ; but get the liveliest picture of 
them in thy mind that thou possibly canst, by contem- 
plating the scripture account of them, till thou canst say, 
" Methinks I see a glimpse of glory ! Methinks I hear 
the shouts of joy and praise, and even stand by Abraham 
and David, Peter and Paul, and other triumphant souls ! 
Methinks I even see the Son of God appearing in the 
clouds, and the world standing at his bar to receive their 
doom ; and hear him say, ' Come, ye blessed of my 
Father ; ' and see them go rejoicing into the joy of their 
Lord ! My very dreams of these things have sometimes 
greatly affected me, and should not these just suppositions 
much more affect me ? What if I had seen, with Paul, 
those 'unutterable things?' Or, with Stephen, had 
seen ' heaven opened, and Christ sitting at the right 
hand of God?' Surely that one sight was worth his 
storm of stones. What if I had seen, as Micaiah did, 
'the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of 
heaven standing on his right hand, and on his left?' 
Such things did these men of God see ; and I shall 
shortly see far more than they ever saw, till they were 
loosed from the flesh, as I must be." Thus you see how 



340 

it excites our affections in this heavenly work, if we make 
strong and familiar suppositions from our bodily senses, 
concerning the state of blessedness, as the Spirit hath in 
condescending language expressed it. 

4. (2.) The other way in which our senses may 
promote this heavenly work, is, by comparing the objects 
of sense with the objects of faith. As for instance : You 
may strongly argue with your hearts from the corrupt 
delights of sensual men, to the joys above. Think with 
yourselves, "Is it such a delight to a sinner to do 
wickedly ? And will it not be delightful indeed to live 
with God ? Hath the drunkard such delights in his cups, 
that the fears of damnation will not make him forsake 
them ? Will the whoremonger rather part with his credit, 
estate, and salvation, than with his brutish delights ? If 
the way to hell can afford such pleasure, what then are 
the pleasures of the saints in heaven ! ■ If the covetous 
man hath so much pleasure in his wealth, and the 
ambitious man in places of power and titles of honor ; 
what then have the saints in everlasting treasures, and in 
heavenly honors, where we shall be set above principalities 
and powers, and be made the glorious spouse of Christ ! 
How delightfully will the voluptuous follow their recrea- 
tions from morning to night, or sit at their cards and dice 
nights and days together ! O the delight we shall have 
when we come to our rest, in beholding the face of the 
living God, and in singing forth the praises unto him and 
the Lamb ! " — Compare also the delights above, with the 
lawful and moderate delights of sense. Think with 
thyself, " How sweet is food to my taste when I am 
hungry, especially if it be as Isaac said, ' such as I love,' 
which my temperance and appetite incline to ! What 
delight then must my soul have in feeding upon ' Christ, 
the living bread,' and in ' eating with him at his table in 
his kingdom ! ' Was a mess of pottage so sweet to Esau 



341 

in his hunger, that he would buy it at so dear a rate as his 
birthright ? How highly then should I value this never- 
perishing food ! How pleasant is drink in the extremity 
of thirst, scarcely to be expressed ; enough to make the 
strength of Samson revive ! O how delightful will it be 
to my soul to drink of that ' fountain of living water, 
which whoso drinketh it shall thirst no more ! ' How 
delightful are grateful odors to the smell ; or music to the 
ear ; or beautiful sights to the eye ! What fragrance then 
hath the precious ointment which is poured on the head 
of our glorified Saviour, and which must be poured on the 
head of all his saints, and will fill all heaven with its 
odor ! How delightful is the music of the heavenly host ! 
How pleasing will be those real beauties above ! How 
glorious the building not made with hands, the house that 
God himself dwells in, the walks and prospects in the city 
of God, and the celestial paradise I" 

5. Compare also the delights above, with those we find 
in natural knowledge. These are far beyond the delights 
of sense ; but how much further are the delights v of 
heaven ! Think then, " Can an Archimedes be so taken 
up with his mathematical invention, that the threats of 
death cannot disengage him, but he will die in the midst 
of his contemplations ? Should not I be much more taken 
up with the delights of glory, and die with these con- 
templations fresh upon my soul ; especially when my 
death will perfect my delights, while those of Archimedes 
die with him ? What exquisite pleasure is it to dive into 
the secrets of nature, and find out the mysteries of arts 
and sciences ; especially if we make a new discovery in 
any one of them ! What high delights are there then in 
the knowledge of God and Christ ! If the face of human 
learning be so beautiful, as to make sensual pleasures 
appear base and brutish ; how beautiful then is the face of 
30 



342 

God ! When we meet with some choice book, how could 
we read it day and night, almost forgetful of meat, drink, 
or sleep ! What delights are there then at God's right 
hand, where we shall know in a moment, all that is to be 
known ! " — Compare also the delights above with the 
delights of morality, and of the natural affections. What 
delight had many sober heathens in the rules and practice 
of moral duties, so that they took him alone for an honest 
man, who did well through the love of virtue, and not 
merely for fear of punishment ; yea, so much valued was 
this moral virtue, that they thought man's chief happiness 
consisted in it. Think then, " What excellency will there 
be in our heavenly perfection, and in that uncreated 
perfection of God which we shall behold ! What sweet- 
ness is there in the exercise of natural love, whether to 
children, parents, yoke-fellows, or intimate friends ! Does 
David say of Jonathan, ' thy love to me was wonderful, 
passing the love of women 1 ' Did the soul of Jonathan 
cleave to David ? Had Christ himself one disciple whom 
he especially loved, and who was wont to lean on his 
breast 1 If then the delights of close and cordial friend- 
ship be so great, what delight shall we have in the 
friendship of the Most High, and in our mutual intimacy 
with Jesus Christ, and in the dearest love of the saints ! 
Surely this will be a stricter friendship, and these more 
lovely and desirable friends, than ever the sun beheld; 
and both our affections to our Father and Saviour, and 
especially theirs to us, will be such as we never knew 
here. If one angel could destroy a host, the affections of 
spirits must also be proportionably stronger, so that we 
shall then love a thousand times more ardently than we 
can now. As all the attributes and works of God are 
incomprehensible, so is this of love : he will love us in- 
finitely beyond our most perfect love to Him. What then 
will there be in this mutual love ! " 



343 

6. Compare also the excellencies of heaven, with those 
glorious works of creation which our eyes now behold. 
What wisdom, power, and goodness, are manifested 
therein ! How does the majesty of the Creator shine in 
this fabric of the world ! " His works are great, sought 
out of all them that have pleasure therein." What divine 
skill in forming the bodies of men or beasts ! What excel- 
lency in every plant ! What beauty in flowers ! What 
variety and usefulness in herbs, plants, fruits, and min- 
erals ! What wonders are contained in the earth and its 
inhabitants ; the ocean of waters, with its motions and 
dimensions; and the constant succession of spring and 
autumn, of summer and winter ! Think then, " If these 
things, which are but servants to sinful man, are so full of 
mysterious worth, what is that place where God himself 
dwells, and which is prepared for just men made perfect 
with Christ ! What glory is there in the least of yonder 
stars ! What a vast resplendent body is yonder moon, 
and every planet ! What an inconceivable glory hath the 
sun ! But all this is nothing to the glory of heaven. 
Yonder sun must there be laid aside as useless. Yonder 
is but darkness to the lustre of my Father's house. I 
shall myself be as glorious as that sun. This whole earth 
is but my Father's footstool. This thunder is nothing to 
his dreadful voice. These winds are nothing to the breath 
of his mouth. If the < sending rain, and making the sun 
to rise on the just and on the unjust,' be so wonderful, how 
much more wonderful and glorious will that sun be, which 
must shine on none but saints and angels ! " — Compare 
also the enjoyments above, with the wonders of providence 
in the church and world. Would it not be an astonishing 
sight, to see the sea stand as a wall on the right hand, and 
on the left, and the dry land appear in the midst, and the 
people of Israel pass safely through, and Pharaoh and his 
host drowned ? or to have seen the ten plagues of Egypt 1 



344 

or the rock gushing forth streams ? or manna and quails 
rained from heaven ? or the earth opening and swallowing 
up the wicked ? But we shall see far greater things than 
these ; not only sights more wonderful, but more delight- 
ful : there shall be no blood, nor wrath intermingled ; nor 
shall we cry out as the men of Beth-shemesh, " Who is 
able to stand before this holy Lord God?' 5 How astonish- 
ing, to see the sun stand still in the firmament : or the 
dial of Ahaz go back ten degrees ! But we shall see 
when there shall be no sun ; or rather shall behold for 
ever a sun of infinitely greater brightness. What a life 
should we live, if we could have drought or rain at our 
prayers : or have fire from heaven to destroy our enemies, 
as Elijah had : or raise the dead, as Elisha ; or miracu- 
lously cure diseases, and speak all languages, as the apos- 
tles ! Alas, these are nothing to the wonders we shall see 
and possess with God : and all of them wonders of good- 
ness and love ! We shall ourselves be the subjects of 
more wonderful mercies than any of these. Jonah was 
raised but from a three days' burial in the belly of a fish ; 
but we shall be raised from many years' rottenness and 
dust ; and that dust exalted to the glory of the sun ; and 
that glory perpetuated through eternity. Surely, if we 
observe but common providences ; as, the motions of the 
sun ; the tides of the sea ; the standing of the earth '; the 
watering it with rain, as a garden ; the keeping in order a 
wicked confused world : with many others, they are all 
admirable. But what are these to the Sion of God, the 
vision of the divine Majesty, and the order of the heavenly 
host ? — Add to these, those particular providences which 
thou hast thyself enjoyed and recorded through thy life, 
and compare them with the mercies thou shalt have above. 
Look over the mercies of thy youth and riper age, of thy 
prosperity and adversity, of thy several places and rela- 
tions ; are they not excellent and innumerable, rich and 



345 

engaging ? How sweet was it to thee, when God resolved 
thy doubts ; scattered thy fears ; prevented the incon- 
veniences into which thy own counsel would have cast 
thee ; eased thy pains ; healed thy sickness ; and raised 
thee up as from death and the grave ! Think then, " Are 
all these so sweet and precious, that without them my life 
would have been a perpetual misery 1 Hath his provi- 
dence on earth lifted me so high, and his gentleness made 
me so great ? How sweet then will his glorious presence 
be ! How high will his eternal love exalt me ! And how 
great shall I be made in communion with his greatness ! 
If my pilgrimage and warfare have such mercies, what 
shall I find in my home, and in my triumph ! If God com- 
municates so much to me, while I remain a sinner, what 
will he bestow when I am a perfected saint ! If I have 
had so much at such a distance from him, what shall I 
have in his immediate presence, where I shall ever stand 
before his throne ! " 

7. Compare the joys above with the comforts thou hast 
here received in ordinances. Hath not the Bible been to 
thee as an open fountain, flowing with comforts day and 
night ? What suitable promises have come into thy mind ; 
so that, with David, thou mayest say, " Unless thy law had 
been my delight, I should then have perished in mine 
affliction!" Think then, "if his word be so full of 
consolations, what overflowing springs shall we find in 
God himself! If his letters are so comfortable, what will 
the glories of his presence be ! If the promise is so 
sweet, what will the performance be ! If the testament 
of our Lord, and our charter for the kingdom, be so 
comfortable, what will be our possession of the kingdom 
itself! — Think farther, " What delights have I also found 
in the word preached ! When I have sat under a heavenly, 
heart-searching teacher, how hath my heart been warmed [ 
30* 



346 

Methinks I have felt myself almost in heaven. How often 
have I gone to the congregation troubled in spirit, and 
returned joyful ! How often have I gone doubting, and 
God hath sent me home persuaded of his love in Christ ! 
What cordials have I met with to animate me in every 
conflict ! If but the face of Moses shine so gloriously, 
what glory is there in the face of God ! If the feet of 
them that publish peace, that bring good tidings of salvation 
be beautiful ; how beautiful is the face of the Prince of 
Peace ! If this treasure be so precious in earthen vessels ; 
what is that treasure laid up in heaven ! Blessed are the 
eyes that see what is seen there, and the ears that hear 
the things that are heard there. There shall I hear Elijah, 
Isaiah, Jeremiah, John, Peter, Paul; not preaching to 
gainsayers, in imprisonment, persecution, and reproach : 
but triumphing in the praises of him that hath raised 
them to honor and glory." — Think also, " What joy is it 
to have access and acceptance in prayer ; that I may always 
go to God, and open my case, and unbosom my soul to 
him, as to my most faithful friend ! But it will be a more 
unspeakable joy, when I shall receive all blessings without 
asking, and all my necessities and miseries will be re- 
moved, and when God himself will be the portion, and 
inheritance of my soul." — As for the Lord's supper, 
" What a privilege is it to be admitted to sit at his table, 
to have his covenant sealed to me there ! But all the life 
and comfort there, is to assure me of the comforts here- 
after. O the difference between the last supper of Christ 
on earth, and the marriage supper of the Lamb at the 
great day ! Then his room will be the glorious heavens ; 
his attendants, all the hosts of angels and saints ; no Judas, 
no unfurnished guest, comes there ; but the humble be- 
lievers must sit down by him, and their feast will be their 
mutual loving and rejoicing." — Concerning the communion 
of saints, think with thyself, " What a pleasure is it to 



347 

live with intelligent and heavenly Christians ! David says 
of such, ' they were all his delight.' O what a delightful 
society then shall I have above ! Had I but seen Job on 
the dunghill, what a mirror of patience ! and what will it 
be to see him in glory ! How delightful to have heard 
Paul and Silas singing in the stocks ! How much more 
to hear them sing praises in heaven ! What melody did 
Davrd make on his harp ! But how much more melodious 
to hear that sweet singer in the heavenly choir ! What 
would I have given for an hour's free converse with Paul, 
when he was just come down from the third heaven ! But 
I must shortly see those things myself, and possess what I 
see." — Once more, think of praising God in concert with 
his saints: "What if I had been in the place of those 
shepherds, who saw, and heard the heavenly host singing, 
' Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will 
towards men ! ' But I shall see and hear more glorious 
things. How blessed should I have thought myself, had 
I heard Christ in his thanksgivings to his Father ! how 
much more, when I shall hear him pronounce me blessed ! 
If there was such joy at bringing back the ark, or at 
rebuilding the temple ; what will there be in the New 
Jerusalem ! If the earth rent, when the people rejoiced 
at Solomon's coronation ; what a joyful shout will there 
be at the appearing of the King of the church ! If, 
1 when the foundations of the earth were laid, the morning 
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for 
joy ;' what a joyful song will there be, when the world of 
glory is both founded and finished, when the top-stone is 
laid, and when ' the holy city is adorned as the bride, the 
Lamb's wife'"! 

8. Compare the joys thou shalt have in heaven, with 
what the saints have found in the way to it, and in the 
foretastes of it. When did God ever reveal the least of 
himself to any of his saints, but the joy of their hearts 



348 

was answerable to the revelation? In what an ecstacy 
was Peter on the mount of transfiguration ! "Master," 
says he, " it is good for us to be here : let us make three 
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for 
Elias." As if he had said, " O let us not go down again 
to yonder persecuting rabble ; let us not return to our 
mean and suffering state. Is it not better to stay here 
now we are here? Is not here better company, and 
sweeter pleasure 1 " How was Paul lifted up with what 
he saw ! How did the face of Moses shine, when he had 
been talking with God ! These were all extraordinary 
foretastes ; but little to the full beatifical vision. How 
often have we read and heard of dying saints, who have 
been as full of joy as their hearts could hold ; and when 
their bodies have felt the extremity of sickness and pain, 
have had so much of heaven in then spirits, that their joy 
hath far exceeded their sorrows ! If a spark of this fire 
be so glorious, even amidst the sea of adversity; what 
then is glory itself ! O the joy that the martyrs have felt 
in the flames ! They were flesh and blood, as well as we : 
it must therefore be some excellent thing that filled their 
spirits with joy, while their bodies were burning. Think, 
Reader, in thy meditations, " Sure it must be some 
wonderful foretaste of glory that made the flames of fire 
easy, and the king of terrors welcome. What then is 
glory itself ! What a blessed rest, when the thoughts of 
it made Paul desire to depart, and be with Christ ; and 
makes the saints never think themselves well, till they are 
dead ! Shall Saunders embrace the stake, and cry, 
Welcome, cross ! And shall not I more delightfully 
embrace my blessedness, and cry, Welcome, crown ? 
Shall Bradford kiss the faggot, and shall not I kiss the 
Saviour ? Shall another poor martyr rejoice to have her 
foot in the same hole of the stocks, in which Mr. Philpot's 
had been before her ? And shall not I rejoice, that my 



349 

soul shall live in the same place of glory, where Christ 
and his apostles are gone before me ? Shall fire and 
faggot, prisons and banishment, cruel mockings and 
scourgings, be more welcome to others than Christ and 
glory to me ? God forbid ! " 

9. Compare the glory of the heavenly kingdom, with 
the glory of the church on earth, and of Christ in his state 
of humiliation. If Christ suffering in the room of sinners 
had such excellency, what is Christ at his Father's right 
hand ! If the church under her sins and enemies have 
so much beauty, what will she have at the marriage of the 
Lamb ! How wonderful was the Son of God in the form 
of a servant ! When he is born, a new star must appear, 
and conduct the strangers to worship him in a manger ! 
heavenly hosts with their songs must celebrate his na- 
tivity ; while a child, he must dispute with doctors ; when 
he enters upon his office, he turns water into wine ; feeds 
thousands with a few loaves and fishes ; cleanses the 
lepers, heals the sick, restores the lame, gives sight to the 
blind, and raises the dead. How wonderful then is his 
celestial glory ! If there be such cutting down of boughs, 
and spreading of garments, and crying Hosanna, for one 
that comes into Jerusalem riding on an ass ; what will 
there be when he comes with his angels in his glory ! If 
they that heard him preach the gospel of the kingdom, 
confess, "Never man spake like this man;" they then 
that behold his majesty in his kingdom, will say, " There 
was never glory like this glory." If, when his enemies 
came to apprehend him, they fell to the ground ; if, when 
he is dying, the earth quakes, the vail of the temple is 
rent, the sun is eclipsed, the dead bodies of the saints 
arise, and the standers-by acknowledge, " Verily this was 
the Son of God ; " O what a day will it be, when the 
dead must all arise, and stand before him ! when he will 
once more shake, not the earth only, but the heavens 



350 

also ! when this sun shall be taken out of the firmament, 
and be everlastingly darkened with his glory ! and when 
every tongue shall confess him to be Lord and King ! If, 
when he rose again, death and the grave lost their power; 
if angels must roll away the stone, terrify the keepers till 
they are as dead men, and send the tidings to his dis- 
ciples ; if he ascend to heaven in their sight ; what power, 
dominion, and glory, is he now possessed of, and which 
we must for ever possess with him ! When he is gone, 
can a few poor fishermen and tent-makers cure the lame, 
blind, and sick, open prisons, destroy the disobedient, 
raise the dead, and astonish their adversaries 1 what a 
world will that be, where every one can do greater works 
than these ! If the preaching of the gospel be accom- 
panied with such power as to discover the secrets of the 
heart, humble the proud sinner, and make the most 
obdurate tremble ; if it can make men burn their books, 
sell their lands, bring in the price, and lay it down at the 
preacher's feet ; if it can convert thousands, and turn the 
world upside down ; if its doctrine, from the prisoner at 
the bar, can make the judge on the bench tremble ; if 
Christ and his saints have this power and honor in the 
day of their abasement, and in the time appointed for 
their suffering and disgrace ; what then will they have in 
their absolute dominion, and full advancement in their 
kingdom of glory ! 

10. Compare the glorious change thou shalt have at 
last, with the gracious change which the Spirit hath here 
wrought on thy heart. There is not the smallest sincere 
grace in thee, but is of greater worth than the riches of 
the Indies ; not a hearty desire and groan after Christ, 
but is more to be valued than the kingdoms of the world. 
A renewed nature is the very image of God ; Christ 
dwelling in us ; and the Spirit of God abiding in us : it is 
a beam from the face of God ; the seed of God remaining 






351 

in us ; the only inherent beauty of the rational soul : it 
ennobles man above all nobility ; fits him to understand 
his Maker's pleasure, do his will, and receive his glory. 
If this grain of mustard-seed be so precious, what is the 
" tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God ! " If a 
spark of life, which will but strive against corruptions, 
and flame out a few desires and groans, be of so much 
worth ; how glorious then is the fountain of this life ! If 
we are said to be like God, when we are pressed down 
with a body of sin ; sure we shall be much more like 
God, when we have no such thing as sin within us. Is 
the desire after, and love of heaven, so excellent ; what 
then is the thing itself? Is our joy in foreseeing and 
believing so sweet; what will be the joy of full possession? 
How glad is a Christian when he feels his heart begins to 
melt, and be dissolved with the thoughts of sinful un- 
kindness ! Even this sorrow yields him joy. O what 
then will it be, when we shall know, and love, and rejoice, 
and praise in the highest perfection ! Think with thyself, 
"What a change was it, to be taken from that state 
wherein I was born, and in which I was riveted by 
custom, when thousands of sins lay upon my score, and if 
I had so died, I had been damned for ever ! What an 
astonishing change, to be justified from all these enormous 
crimes, and freed from all these fearful plagues, and made 
an heir of heaven ! How often, when I have thought of 
my regeneration, have I cried out, O blessed day ! and 
blessed be the Lord that ever I saw it ! How then shall 
I cry out in heaven, O blessed eternity ! and blessed be 
the Lord that brought me to it ! Did the angels of God 
rejoice to see my conversion ? Surely they will con- 
gratulate my felicity in my salvation. — Grace is but a 
spark raked up in the ashes, covered with flesh from the 
sight of the world, and sometimes covered with corruption 
from my own sight ; but my everlasting glory will not be 



352 

so clouded, nor my light be under a bushel, but upon a 
hill, even upon mount Sion, the mount of God." 

11. Once more, compare the joys which thou shalt 
have above, with those foretastes of it which the Spirit 
hath given thee here. Hath not God sometimes revealed 
himself extraordinarily to thy soul, and let a drop of glory 
fall upon it ? Hast thou not been ready to say, " O that 
it might be thus with my soul continually!" Didst thou 
never cry out with the martyr, after thy long and mourn- 
ful expectations, "He is come! He is come!" Didst 
thou never, under a lively sermon of heaven, or in thy 
retired contemplations on that blessed state, perceive thy 
drooping spirits revive, and thy dejected heart lift up thy 
head, and the light of heaven dawn on thy soul ? Think 
with thyself, " What is this earnest to the full in- 
heritance ! Alas ! all this light that so amazeth and re- 
joiceth me, is but a candle lighted from heaven, to lead me 
thither through this world of darkness! If some godly men 
have been overwhelmed with joy till they have cried out, 
• Hold, Lord, stay thy hand ; I can bear no more ! ' what 
then will be my joys in heaven, when my soul shall be so 
capable of seeing and enjoying God, that though the light 
be ten thousand times greater than the sun, yet my eyes 
shall be able for ever to behold it !" Or if thou hast not 
yet felt these sweet foretastes, (for every believer hath not 
felt them,) then make use of such delights as thou hast 
felt, in order the better to discern what thou shalt here- 
after feel. 

12. (II.) I am now to show how heavenly contempla- 
tion may be preserved from a wandering heart. Our chief 
work is here to discover the danger, and that will direct 
to the fittest remedy. The heart will prove the greatest 
hinderance in this heavenly employment ; either — by 
backwardness to it — or, by trifling in it — or, by frequent 






353 

excursions to other objects — or, by abruptly ending the 
work before it is well begun. As you value the comfort 
of this work, these dangerous evils must be faithfully 
resisted. 

13. (1.) Thou wilt find thy heart as backward to this, 
I think, as to any work in the world. O what excuses 
will it make ! What evasions will it find out ! What 
delays and demurs, when it is ever so much convinced ! 
Either it will question whether it be a duty or not ; or, if 
it be so to others, whether to thyself. It will tell thee, 
"T his is a work for ministers that have nothing else to 
study ; or for persons that have more leisure than thou 
hast." If thou be a minister, it will tell thee, " This is 
the duty of the people ; it is enough for thee to meditate 
for their instruction, and let them meditate on what they 
have heard." As if it was thy duty only to cook their 
meat, and serve it up, and they alone must eat it, digest 
it, and live upon it. If all this will not do, thy heart 
will tell thee of other business, or set thee upon some 
other duty ; for it had rather go to any duty than this. 
Perhaps it will tell thee, " Other duties are greater, and 
therefore this must give place to them, because thou hast 
no time for both. Public business is more important ; to 
study and preach for the saving of souls, must be preferred 
before these private contemplations." As if thou hadst 
not time to care for thy own salvation, for looking after 
that of others. Or thy charity to others were so great, 
that it obliges thee to neglect thy own eternal welfare. 
Or as if there were any better way to fit us to be useful to 
others, than making this proof of our doctrine ourselves. 
Certainly heaven is the best fire to light our candle at, 
and the best book for a preacher to study ; and if we 
would be persuaded to study that more, the church would 
be provided with more heavenly lights; and when our 
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354 

studies are divine, and our spirits divine, our preaching 
will also be divine, and we may be called divines indeed. 
Or if thy heart have nothing to say against the work, it 
will trifle away the time in delays, and promise this day, 
and the next, but still keep off from the business. Or it 
will give thee a flat denial, and oppose its own unwilling- 
ness to thy reason. All this I speak of the heart, so far 
as it is still carnal ; for I know, so far as it is spiritual, it 
will judge this the sweetest work in the world. 

14. What is now to be done ? Wilt thou do it, if I tell 
thee ? Wouldst thou not say in a like case, " What 
should I do with a servant that will not work ? or with a 
horse that will not travel ? Shall I keep them to look at? " 
Then faithfully deal thus with thy heart ; persuade it to 
the work, take no denial, chide it for its backwardness, 
use violence with it. Hast thou no command of thy own 
thoughts? Is not the subject of thy meditations a matter 
of choice, especially under this conduct of thy judgment? 
Surely God gave thee, with thy new nature, some power 
to govern thy thoughts. Art thou again become a slave 
to thy depraved nature ? Resume thy authority. Call in 
the Spirit of Christ to thine assistance, who is never back- 
ward to so good a work, nor will deny his help in so just 
a cause. Say to him, " Lord, thou gavest my reason the 
command of my thoughts and affections ; the authority I 
have received over them is from thee ; and now, behold, 
they refuse to obey thine authority. Thou commandest 
me to set them to the work of heavenly meditation, but 
they rebel and stubbornly refuse the duty. Wilt thou not 
assist me to exercise that authority which thou hast given 
me ? O send down thy Spirit, that I may enforce thy 
commands, and effectually compel them to obey thy will!" 
Thus thou shalt see thy heart will submit, its resistance be 
overcome, and its backwardness be turned into cheerful 
compliance. 



355 

15. (2.) Thy heart will also be likely to betray thee by 
trifling, when it should be effectually meditating. Per- 
haps, when thou hast an hour for meditation, the time 
will be spent before thy heart will be serious. This doing 
of duty, as if we did it not, ruins as many as the omission 
of it. Here let thine eye be always upon thy heart. Look 
not so much to the time it spends in the duty, as to the 
quantity and quality of the work that is done. You can 
tell by his work, whether a servant hath been diligent. 
Ask yourself, " What affections have yet been exercised ? 
How much am I yet got nearer to heaven ? ; ' Think not, 
since thy heart is so trifling, it is better to let it alone : 
for, by this means, thou wilt certainly banish all spiritual 
obedience ; because the best hearts, being but sanctified in 
part, will resist, so far as they are carnal. But rather 
consider well the corruption of thy nature ; and that its 
sinful indispositions will not supersede the commands of 
God ; nor one sin excuse for another ; and that God has 
appointed means to excite our affections. This self-rea- 
soning, self-considering duty of heavenly meditation, is 
the most singular means, both to excite and increase love. 
Therefore stay not from the duty, till thou feelest thy love 
constrain thee, any more than thou wouldst stay from the 
fire, till thou feelest thyself warm ; but engage in the work 
till love is excited, and then love will constrain thee to 
further duty. 

16. (3.) Thy heart will also be making excursions from 
thy heavenly meditation to other objects. It will be turn- 
ing aside, like a careless servant, to talk with every one 
that passeth by. When there should be nothing in thy 
mind but heaven, it will be thinking of thy calling, or thy 
affections, or of every bird, or tree, or place thou seest. 
The cure is here the same as before ; use watchfulness 
and violence. Say to thy heart, " What ! did I come 
hither to think of my worldly business, of persons, places, 



356 

news, or vanity, or of any thing but heaven, be it ever so 
good? Canst thou not watch one hour? Wouldst thou 
leave this world and dwell forever with Christ in heaven, 
and not leave it one hour to dwell with Christ in medita- 
tion ? Is this thy love to thy friend ? Dost thou love 
Christ, and the place of thy eternal blessed abode, no 
more than this ! " If the ravening fowls of wandering 
thoughts devour the meditations intended for heaven, they 
devour the life and joy of thy thoughts ; therefore drive 
them away from thy sacrifice, and strictly keep thy heart 
to the work. 

17. (4.) Abruptly ending thy meditation before it is 
well begun, is another way in which thy heart will deceive 
thee. Thou may est easily perceive this in other duties. 
In secret prayer, is not thy heart urging thee to cut it 
short, and frequently making a motion to have done ? So 
in heavenly contemplation, thy heart will be weary of the 
work, and will stop thy heavenly walk before thou art well 
warm. But charge it in the name of God to stay, and not 
do so great a work by halves. Say to it, " Foolish heart ! 
if thou beg awhile, and goest away before thou hast thy 
alms, is not thy begging a lost labor ? If thou stoppest 
before the end of thy journey, is not thy travel lost ? 
Thou earnest hither in hope to have a sight of the glory 
which thou must inherit : and wilt thou stop when thou 
art almost at the top of the hill, and turn back before thou 
hast taken thy survey ? Thou earnest hither in hope to 
speak with God, and wilt thou go before thou hast seen 
him ? Thou earnest to bathe thyself in the streams of 
consolation, and to that end didst unclothe thyself of thy 
earthly thoughts, and wilt thou only touch the bank and 
return? Thou earnest to spy out the land of promise; go 
not back without one cluster of grapes to show thy breth- 
ren, for their encouragement. Let them see that thou 
hast tasted of the wine, by the gladness of thy heart ; and 



357 

that thou hast been anointed with the oil, by the cheer- 
fulness of thy countenance ; and hast fed of the milk and 
honey, by the mildness of thy disposition, and the sweet- 
ness of thy conversation. This heavenly fire would melt 
thy frozen heart, and refine and spiritualize it; but it 
must have time to operate." Thus pursue the work till 
something be done, till thy graces be in exercise, thy affec- 
tions raised, and thy soul refreshed with the delights above ; 
or if thou canst not attain these ends at once, be the 
more earnest at another time. " Blessed is that servant, 
whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing." 



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CHAPTER XVI. 

Heavenly Contemplation exemplified, and the whole 
Work concluded. 

Sect. 1. The Reader's attention excited to the following example of 
meditation. 2. The excellencies of heavenly rest; 3. Its near- 
ness : 4. dreadful to sinners, 5. and joyful to saints ; 6. its 
dear purchase; 7. its difference from earth. 8. The heart 
pleaded with. 9. Unbelief banished. 10. A careless world pitied. 
11 — 13. Heavenly rest the object of love. 14 — 21. and joy. 22. 
The heart's backwardness to heavenly joy lamented. 23 — 27, 
Heavenly rest the object of desire. 28. Such meditations as this 
urged upon the reader : 29. The mischief of neglecting it ; 
30. The happiness of pursuing it. 31. The Author's concluding 
Prayer for the success of his work. 

1. And now, Reader, according to the above directions, 
make conscience of daily exercising thy graces in medita- 
tion, as well as prayer. Retire into some secret place, at 
a time the most convenient to thyself, and, laying aside all 
worldly thoughts, with all possible seriousness and rever- 
ence look up toward heaven, remember there is thine 
everlasting rest, study its excellency and reality, and rise 
from sense to faith, by comparing heavenly with earthly 
joys : then mix ejaculations with thy soliloquies ; till, 
having pleaded the case reverently with God, and seriously 
with thy own heart, thou hast pleaded thyself from a clod 
to a flame ; from a forgetful sinner, and a lover of the 
world, to an ardent lover of God ; from a fearful coward 
to a resolved Christian ; from an unfruitful sadness to a 
joyful life : in a word, till thou hast pleaded thy heart 
from earth to heaven, from conversing below to walking 






359 

with God, and till thou canst lay thy heart to rest, as in 
the bosom of Christ, by some such meditation of thy ever- 
lasting rest as is here added for thy assistance. 

2. "Rest! How sweet the sound! It is melody to 
my ears ! It lies as a reviving cordial at my heart, and 
from thence sends forth lively spirits, which beat through 
all the pulses of my soul ! Rest — not as the stone that 
rests on the earth, nor as this flesh shall rest, in the grave, 
nor such a rest as the carnal world desires. O blessed 
rest '. when we ' rest not day and night, saying, Holy, 
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!' When we shall rest 
from sin, but not from worship : from suffering and sorrow, 
but not from joy ! O blessed day ! When I shall rest 
with God ! When I shall rest in the bosom of my Lord ! 
When I shall rest in knowing, loving, rejoicing, and 
praising ! When my perfect soul and body shall together 
perfectly enjoy the most perfect God ! When God, who 
is love itself, shall perfectly love me, and rest in his love 
to me, as I shall rest in my love to him ; and rejoice over 
me with joy, and joy over me with singing, as I shall 
rejoice in him ! 

3. "How near is that most blessed, joyful day! It 
comes apace. ' He that shall come, will come, and will 
not tarry.' Though my Lord seems to delay his coming, 
yet a little while and he will be here. What is a few 
hundred years, when they are over? How surely will 
his sign appear ! How suddenly will he seize upon the 
careless world, even as the lightning cometh out of the 
east, and shineth unto the west ! He who has gone hence 
shall so come. Methinks I hear his trumpet sound! 
Methinks I see him coming in clouds, with his attending 
angels, in majesty and glory ! 

4. " O secure sinners ! What now will you do ? Where 
will you hide yourselves 1 What shall cover you ? 
Mountains are gone ; the heavens and the earth, which 



360 

were, are passed away ; the devouring fire hath consumed 
all, except yourselves, who must be the fuel for ever. O 
that you could consume as soon as the earth ; and melt 
away as did the heavens ! Ah, these wishes are now but 
vain ! The Lamb himself would have been your friend ; 
he would have loved you, and ruled you, and now have 
saved you ; but you would not then, and now it is too late. 
Never cry, ' Lord, Lord,' too late, too late, man. Why 
dost thou look about ? Can any save thee 1 Whither dost 
thou run ? can any hide thee 1 O wretch, that hast 
brought thyself to this ! 

5. " Now, blessed saints, that have believed and obeyed. 
This is the end of faith and patience. This is it for which 
you prayed and waited. Do you now repent your suffer- 
ings and sorrows, your self-denying and holy walking ? 
Are your tears of repentance now bitter or sweet 1 See 
how the Judge smiles upon you ; there is love in his looks ; 
the titles of Redeemer, Husband, Head, are written in his 
amiable shining face. Hark, he calls you ! he bids you 
stand here on his right hand : fear not, for there he sets 
his sheep. O joyful sentence ! £ Come ye blessed of my 
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world.' He takes you by the hand, the 
door is open, the kingdom is his, and therefore yours ; 
there is your place before his throne ; the Father receives 
you as the spouse of his Son, and bids you welcome to the 
crown of glory. Ever so unworthy, you must be crowned. 
This was the project of free redeeming grace, the purpose 
of eternal love. O blessed grace ! O blessed love ! Oh 
how love and joy will rise ! But I cannot express it, I 
cannot conceive it. 

6. " This is that joy which was procured by sorrow, 
that crown which was procured by the cross. My Lord 
wept, that now my tears might be wiped, away ; he bled, 
that I might now rejoice ; he was forsaken, that I might 



361 

not now be forsook ; he then died, that I might now live, 

free mercy, that can exalt so vile a wretch ! Free to 
me, though dear to Christ ! Free grace, that hath chosen 
me, when thousands were forsaken ! When my compan- 
ions in sin must burn in hell, I must here rejoice in rest ! 
Here must I live with all these saints ! O comfortable 
meeting of my old acquaintance, with whom I prayed, and 
wept, and suffered, and spoke often of this day and place ! 

1 see the grave could not detain you ; the same love hath 
redeemed and saved you also. 

7. " This is not like our cottages of clay, our prisons, 
our earthly dwellings. This voice of joy is not like our 
old complaints, our impatient groans and sighs ; nor this 
melodious praise like the scoffs and revilings, or the oaths 
and curses, which we heard on earth. This body is not 
like that we had, nor this soul like the soul we had, nor 
this life like the life we lived. We have changed our 
place and state, our clothes and thoughts, our looks, lan- 
guage, and company. Before, a saint was weak and 
despised ; so proud and peevish, we could often scarce 
discern his graces : but now how glorious a thing is a 
saint ! Where is now their body of sin, which wearied 
themselves and those about them ? Where are now our 
different judgments, reproachful names, divided spirits, 
exasperated passions, strange looks, uncharitable censures? 
Now we are all of one judgment, of one name, of one 
heart, house, and glory. O sweet reconciliation ! Happy 
union ! Now the gospel shall no more be dishonored 
through our folly. No more, my soul, shalt thou lament 
the sufferings of the saints, or the church's ruins, nor 
mourn thy suffering friends, nor weep over their dying 
beds, or their graves. Thou shalt never suffer thy old 
temptations from Satan, the world, or thy own flesh. Thy 
pains and sickness are all cured ; thy body shall no more 
burden thee with weakness and weariness; thy aching 



362 

head and heart, thy hunger and thirst, thy sleep and 
labor, are all gone. O what a mighty change is this ! 
from the dunghill to the throne ! from persecuting sinners 
to praising saints! From a vile body, to this which 
' shines as the brightness of the firmament ! ' From a 
sense of God's displeasure, to the perfect enjoyment of 
him in love ! From all my doubts and fears, to this pos- 
session which puts me out of doubt ! From all my 
fearful thoughts of death, to this joyful life ! Blessed 
change ! Farewell sin and sorrow for ever : farewell my 
rocky, proud, unbelieving heart ; my worldly, sensual, 
carnal heart : and welcome now my most holy, heavenly 
nature. Farewell, repentance, faith, and hope ; and 
welcome love, and joy, and praise. I shall now have my 
harvest, without ploughing or sowing ; my joy without a 
preacher, or a promise ; even all from the face of God 
himself. Whatever mixture is in the streams, there is 
nothing but pure joy in the fountain. Here shall I be 
encircled with eternity, and ever live, and ever, ever praise 
the Lord. My face will not wrinkle, nor my hair be gray ; 
' for this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and 
this mortal, immortality, and death shall be swallowed up 
in victory. O death, where is now thy sting ? O grave, 
where is thy victory 1 ' The date of my lease will no 
more expire, nor shall I trouble myself with thoughts of 
death, nor lose my joys through fear of losing them. 
When millions of ages are passed, my glory is but begin- 
ning : and when millions more are passed, it is no nearer 
ending. Every day is all noon, every month is harvest, 
every year is a jubilee, every age is full manhood, and all 
this is one eternity. O blessed eternity ! The glory of 
my glory ! the perfection of my perfection ! 

8. " Ah, drowsy, earthly heart ! How coldly dost thou 
think of this reviving day ! Hadst thou rather sit down 
in dirt, than walk in the palace of God? Art thou now 



363 

remembering thy worldly business, or thinking of thy lusts, 
earthly delights, and merry company 1 Is it better to be 
here, than above with God ? Is the company better 1 
Are the pleasures greater 1 Come away ; make no excuse 
nor delay ; God commands, and I command thee ; gird 
up thy loins ; ascend the mount ; look about thee with 
faith and seriousness. Look not back upon the way of 
the wilderness, except it be to compare the kingdom with 
that howling desert, more sensibly to perceive the wide 
difference. Yonder is thy Father's glory ; yonder, O my 
soul, must thou remove, when thou departest from this 
body ; and when the power of thy Lord hath raised it 
again, and joined thee to it, yonder must thou live with 
God forever. There is the glorious new Jerusalem, the 
gates of pearl, the foundation of pearl, the streets and 
pavements of transparent gold. That sun, which lighteth 
all this world, will be useless there ; even thyself shall be 
as bright as yonder shining sun : God will be the sun, and 
Christ the light, and in his light shalt thou have light. 

9. " O my soul ! dost thou ' stagger at the promise of 
God through unbelief?' I much suspect thee. Didst 
thou believe indeed, thou wouldst be more affected with it ? 
Is it not under the hand, and seal, and oath of God ? 
Can God lie ? Can he that is truth itself be false 1 
What need hath God to flatter or deceive thee 1 Why 
should he promise thee more than he will perform 1 Dare 
not to charge the wise, almighty, faithful God, with this. 
How many of the promises have been performed to thee 
in thy conversion ! Would God so powerfully concur 
with a feigned word 1 O wretched heart of unbelief! 
Hath God made thee a promise of rest, and wilt thou come 
short of it ? Thine eyes, thine ears, and all thy senses, 
may prove delusions, sooner than a promise of God can 
delude thee. Thou mayest be surer of that which is 
written in the word, than if thou see it with thine eyes, or 



364 

feel it with thine hands. Art thou sure thou art alive, or 
that this is earth thou standest on, or that thine eyes see 
the sun 1 As sure is all this glory to the saints ; as sure 
shall I be higher than yonder stars, and live for ever in 
the holy city, and joyfully sound forth the praises of my 
Redeemer ; if I be not shut out by this ' evil heart of 
unbelief,' causing me to ' depart from the living God.' 

10. " And is this rest so sweet and so sure 1 Then 
what means the careless world ? Know they what they 
neglect ? Did they ever hear of it, or are they yet asleep, 
or are they dead ? Do they certainly know that the crown 
is before them, while they thus sit still, or follow trifles ? 
Undoubtedly they are beside themselves, to mind so much 
their provision by the way, when they are hasting so fast 
to another world, and their eternal happiness lies at stake. 
Were there left one spark of reason, they would never sell 
their rest for toil, nor their glory for worldly vanities, nor 
venture heaven for sinful pleasure. Poor men ! O that 
you would once consider what you hazard, and then you 
would scorn these tempting baits ! Blessed forever be that 
love which hath rescued me from this bewitching dark- 
ness ! 

11. " Draw yet nearer, Q my soul ! with thy most fer- 
vent love. Here is matter for it to work upon, something 
worth thy loving. O see what beauty presents itself! Is 
not all the beauty in the world united here? Is not all 
other beauty but deformity ? Dost thou now need to be 
persuaded to love ? Here is a feast for thine eyes, and all 
the powers of thy soul : dost thou need entreaties to feed 
upon it ? Canst thou love a little shining earth, a walking 
piece of clay ? And canst thou not love that God, that 
Christ, that glory, which is so truly and immeasurably 
lovely ? Thou canst love thy friend, because he loves 
thee ; and is the love of a friend like the love of Christ ? 
Their weeping or bleeding for thee, does not ease thee, 






365 

nor stay the course of thy tears or blood ; but the tears 
and blood that fell from thy Lord have a sovereign healing 
virtue. — O my soul ! if love deserves, and should beget 
love, what incomprehensible love is here before thee ! 
Pour out all the store of thy affections here, and all is too 
little. O that it were more ! O that it were many thou- 
sand times more ! Let him be first served, that served 
thee first. Let him have the first-born, and strength of 
thy soul, who parted with strength, and life, and love for 
thee. — O my soul ! dost thou love for excellency ? Yon- 
der is the region of light; this is a land of darkness. 
Yonder twinkling stars, that shining moon, and radiant 
sun, are all our lanterns hung out of thy Father's house, 
to light thee while thou walkest in this dark world. But 
how little dost thou know the glory and blessedness that 
is within ! — Dost thou love for suitableness ? What 
person more suitable than Christ? His Godhead and 
humanity, his fullness and freeness, his willingness and 
constancy, all proclaim him thy most suitable friend. 
What state more suitable to thy misery, than mercy ? Or 
to thy sin and pollution, than honor and perfection ? 
What place more suitable to thee than heaven ? Does 
this world agree with thy desires ? Hast thou not had a 
sufficient trial of it, or dost thou love for interest and near 
relation ? Where hast thou better interest than in heaven, 
or nearer relation than there ? 

12. " Dost thou love for acquaintance and familiarity ? 
Though thine eyes have never seen thy Lord, yet thou 
hast heard his voice, received his benefits, and lived in 
his bosom. He taught thee to know thyself and him ; he 
opened thee that first window through which thou sawest 
into heaven. Hast thou forgotten since thy heart was 
careless, and he awakened it ; hard, and he softened it ; 
stubborn, and he made it yield ; at peace, and he troubled 
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366 

it ; whole, and he broke it ; and broken till he healed it 
again ? Hast thou forgotten the times when he found 
thee in tears ; when he heard thy secret sighs and groans, 
and left all to come and comfort thee ? when he took thee, 
as it were, in his arms, and asked thee, ' Poor soul, what 
ails thee ? Dost thou weep, when I have wept so much ? 
Be of good cheer ; thy wounds are saving, and not deadly ; 
it is I have made them, who mean thee no hurt : though 
I let out thy blood, I will not let out thy life.' I re- 
member his voice. How gently did he take me up ! How 
carefully did he dress my wounds ! Methinks I hear him 
still saying to me, ' Poor sinner, though thou hast dealt 
unkindly with me, and cast me off; yet I will not do so 
by thee. Though thou hast set light by me, and all my 
mercies, yet they and myself are all thine. What would 
thou have that I can give thee ? And what dost thou 
want that I cannot give thee ? If any thing I have will 
oive thee pleasure, thou shalt have it. Wouldst thou 
have pardon ? I freely forgive thee all the debt. Wouldst 
thou have grace and peace ? Thou shalt have them both. 
Wouldst thou have myself? Behold I am thine, thy 
Friend, thy Lord, thy Brother, Husband, and Head. 
Wouldst thou have the Father ? I will bring thee to him, 
and thou shalt have him, in and by me.' These were my 
Lord's reviving words. After all, when I was doubtful of 
his love, methinks I yet remember his overcoming argu- 
ments : ' Have I done so much, sinner, to testify my love, 
and yet dost thou doubt ? Have I offered thee myself and 
love so long, and yet dost thou question my willingness to 
be thine ? At what dearer rate should I tell thee that I 
love thee ? Wilt thou not believe my bitter passion pro- 
ceeded from love ? Have I made myself in the Gospel a 
lion to thine enemies, and a lamb to thee, and dost thou 
overlook my lamb-like nature ? Had I been willing to let 
thee perish, what need have I done and suffered so much? 



367 

What need I follow thee with such patience and impor- 
tunity ? Why dost thou tell me of thy wants ; have I not 
enough for me and thee ? Or of thy unworthiness ; for if 
thou wast thyself worthy, what shouldst thou do with my 
worthiness 1 Did I ever invite, or save the worthy and 
the righteous ; or is there any such upon earth ? Hast 
thou nothing ; art thou lost and miserable, helpless and 
forlorn ? Dost thou believe I am an all-sufficient Saviour, 
and wouldst thou have me ? Lo, I am thine, take me ; 
if thou art willing, I am ; and neither sin, nor Satan, shall 
break the match.' These, O these, were the blessed 
words which his Spirit from his Gospel spoke unto me, 
till he made me cast myself at his feet, and cry out, ' My 
Saviour, and my Lord, thou hast broken, thou hast re- 
vived my heart ; thou hast overcome, thou hast won my 
heart ; take it, it is thine ; if such a heart can please thee, 
take it ; if it cannot, make it such as thou wouldst have 
it. Thus, O my soul, mayest thou remember the sweet 
familiarity thou hast had with Christ ; therefore, if ac- 
quaintance will cause affection, let out thy heart unto him. 
It is he that hath stood by thy bed of sickness, hath eased 
thy pains, refreshed thy weariness, and removed thy fears. 
He hath been always ready, when thou hast earnestly 
sought him ; hath met thee in public and private ; hath 
been found of thee in the congregation, in thy house, in 
thy closet, in the field, in thy waking nights, in thy deepest 
dangers. 

13. " If bounty and compassion be an attractive of love, 
how unmeasurably then am I bound to love him ! All the 
mercies that have filled up my life, all the places that ever 
I abode in, all the societies and persons I have been con- 
versant with, all my employments and relations, every 
condition I have been in, and every change I have passed 
through, all tell me, that the fountain is overflowing good- 
ness. Lord, what a sum of love am I indebted to thee 5 



368 

And how does my debt continually increase ! How should 
I love again for so much love ? But shall I dare to think 
of requiting thee, or of recompensing all thy love with 
mine ? Will my mite requite thee for thy golden mines ; 
my seldom wishes, for thy constant bounty ; mine which 
is nothing, or not mine, for thine which is infinite, and 
thine own 1 Shall I dare to contend in love with thee ; 
or set my borrowed languid spark against the sun of love 1 
Can I love as high, as deep, as broad, as long, as Love 
itself? as much as he that made me, and that made me 
love, and gave me all that little which I have ? As I 
cannot match thee in the works of power, nor make, nor 
preserve, nor rule the worlds ; no more can I match thee 
in love. No, Lord, I yield ; I am overcome. O blessed 
conquest ! Go on victoriously, and still prevail, and 
triumph in thy love. The captive of love shall proclaim 
thy victory ; when thou lead est me in triumph from earth 
to heaven, from death to life, from the tribunal to the 
throne ; myself, and all that see it, shall acknowledge thou 
hast prevailed, and all shall say, ' Behold how he loved 
him ! ' Yet let me love, in subjection to thy love ; as thy 
redeemed captive, though not thy peer. Shall I not love 
at all, because I cannot reach thy measure 1 O that I 
could feelingly say, ' I love thee, even as I love my friend, 
and myself! 5 Though I cannot say, as the apostle, 
6 Thou knowest that I love thee ; ' yet I can say, ' Lord, 
thou knowest that I would love thee ! ' I am angry with 
my heart, that it doth not love thee ; I chide it, yet it doth 
not mend ; I reason with it, and would fain persuade it, 
yet I do not perceive it stir ; I rub and chafe it in the use 
of ordinances, and yet I feel it not warm within me. Un- 
worthy soul ! Is not thine eye now upon the only lovely 
object ? Art thou not now beholding the ravishing glory 
of the saints ? And dost thou not love ? Art thou not a 
rational soul, and should not reason tell thee, that earth 






369 

is a dungeon to the celestial glory 1 Art thou not thyself 
a spirit, and shouldst thou not love God, ' who is a spirit, 
and the Father of spirits 1 ' Why, dost thou love so much 
thy perishing clay, and love no more the heavenly glory ? 
Shalt thou love when thou comest there ; when the Lord 
shall take thy carcass from the grave, and make thee 
shine as the sun in glory for ever and ever ; shalt thou 
then love, or shalt thou not ? Is not the place a meeting 
of lovers ? Is not the life a state of love 1 Is it not the 
great marriage day of the Lamb ? Is not the employment 
there the work of love, where the souls with Christ take 
their fill ? O then, my soul, begin it here ! Be sick 
with love now, that thou mayest be well with love there. 
Keep thyself now in the love of God ; and let neither life, 
nor death, nor any thing separate thee from it ; and thou 
shalt be kept in the fullness of love for ever, and nothing 
shall imbitter or abate thy pleasure ; for the Lord hath 
prepared a city of love, a place for communicating love to 
his chosen, ' and they that love his name shall dwell 
therein.' 

14. " Awake then, O my drowsy soul ! To sleep 
under the light of grace is unreasonable, much more in 
the approach of the light of glory. Come forth, my dull 
congealed spirit, thy Lord bids thee ' rejoice, and again 
rejoice.' Thou hast lain long enough in thy prison of 
flesh, where Satan hath been thy jailor ; cares have been 
thy irons, fears thy scourges, and thy food the bread and 
water of affliction ; where sorrows have been thy lodging, 
and thy sins and foes have made thy bed, and an unbe- 
lieving heart hath been the gates and bars that have kept 
thee in : the angel of the covenant now calls thee, and 
bids thee arise, and follow him. Up, O my soul ! and 
cheerfully obey, and thy bolts and bars shall all fly open ; 
follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Shouldst thou 
32* 



370 

fear to follow such a guide ? Can the sun lead thee to a 
state of darkness ? "Will he lead thee to death, who died 
to save thee from it? Follow him, and he will show thee 
the paradise of God ; he will give thee a sight of the new 
Jerusalem, and a taste of the tree of life. Come forth, 
my drooping soul, and lay aside thy winter dress ; let it be 
seen by thy garments of joy and praise, that the spring is 
come; and as thou now seest thy comforts green, thou 
shalt shortly see them ' white and ripe for harvest,' and 
then thou shalt be called to reap, and gather, and take 
possession. Should I suspend and delay my joys till then ? 
Should not the joys of the spring go before the joys of 
harvest ? Is title nothing before possession ? Is the heir 
in no better a state than a slave ? My Lord hath taught 
me to rejoice in hope of his glory ; and how to see it 
through the bars of a prison; for when persecuted for 
righteousness' sake, he commands me to ' rejoice and be 
exceeding glad,' because my reward in heaven is great. 
I know he would have my joys exceed my sorrows, and as 
much as he delights in ' the humble and contrite,' he yet 
more delights in the soul that ' delights in him.' Hath 
my Lord spread me a table in this wilderness, and fur- 
nished it with the promises of everlasting glory, and set 
before me angels' food? Doth he frequently and im- 
portunately invite me to sit down, and feed, and spare 
not ? Hath he, to that end, furnished me with reason, 
and faith, and a joyful disposition ; and is it possible that 
he should be unwilling to have me rejoice ? Is it not his 
command, to ' delight thyself in the Lord ; ' and his 
promise, to * give thee the desires of thine heart ? ' Art 
thou not charged to ' rejoice evermore ; ' yea, to ' sing 
aloud, and shout for joy ? ' Why should I then be dis- 
couraged ? My God is willing, if I were but willing. He 
is delighted with my delights. He would have it my 
constant frame, and daily business, to be near him in my 



371 

believing meditations, and to live in the sweetest thoughts 
of his goodness. O blessed employment, fit for the sons 
of God ! But thy feast, my Lord, is nothing to me without 
an appetite. Thou hast set the dainties of heaven before 
me ; but, alas, I am blind, and cannot see them ! I am 
sick, and cannot relish them ! I am so benumbed, that I 
cannot put forth a hand to take them. I therefore humbly 
beg this grace, that as thou hast opened heaven to me in 
thy word, so thou wouldst open mine eyes to see it, and 
my heart to delight in it ; else heaven will be no heaven 
to me. O thou Spirit of life, breathe upon thy graces in 
me ; take me by the hand, and lift me from the earth, that 
I may see what glory thou hast prepared for them that 
love thee ! 

15. " Away then, ye soul-tormenting cares and fears, 
ye heart-vexing sorrows ! At least forbear a little while : 
stand by ; stay here below till I go up and see my rest. 
The way is strange to me, but not to Christ. There was 
the eternal abode of his glorious Deity ; and thither hath 
he also brought his glorified flesh. It was his work to 
purchase it ; it is his to prepare it, and to prepare me for 
it, and bring me to it. The eternal God of truth hath 
given me his promise, his seal and oath, that, believing in 
Christ I shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Thither 
shall my soul be speedily removed, and my body very 
shortly follow. And can my tongue say, that I shall 
shortly and surely live with God ; and yet my heart not 
leap within me 1 Can I say it with faith and not with 
joy 1 Ah faith, how sensibly do I now perceive thy weak- 
ness ! But though unbelief darken my light, and dull my 
life, and suppress my joys, it shall not be able to conquer 
and destroy me ; though it envy all my comforts, yet some 
in spite of it I shall even here receive ; and if that did not 
hinder, what abundance might I have ! The light of 
heaven would shine into my heart ; and I might be almost 



372 

as familiar there, as I am on earth. Come away then, 
my soul : stop thine ears to the ignorant language of 
infidelity ; thou art able to answer all its arguments ; or if 
thou art not, yet tread them under thy feet. Come away ; 
stand not looking on that grave, nor turning those bones, 
nor reading thy lesson now in the dust : those lines will 
soon be wiped out. But lift up thy head, and look to 
heaven, and see thy name written in golden letters ' in the 
book of life of the Lamb that was slain.' What if an 
angel should tell thee, that there is a mansion in heaven 
prepared for thee, that it shall certainly be thine for ever ; 
would not such a message make thee glad ? And dost 
thou make light of the infallible Word of Promise, which 
was delivered by the Spirit, and even by the Son himself? 
Suppose thou hadst seen a fiery chariot come for thee, and 
fetch thee up to heaven, like Elijah ; would not this re- 
joice thee ? But thy Lord assures thee, that the soul of 
Lazarus hath a convoy of angels to carry it into Abra- 
ham's bosom. Shall a drunkard be so merry among his 
cups, or the glutton in his delicious fare, and shall not I 
rejoice who must shortly be in heaven? Can meat and 
drink delight me when I hunger and thirst ? Can I find 
pleasure in walks and gardens, and convenient dwellings ? 
Can beautiful objects delight mine eyes : or grateful odors 
my smell ; or melody my ears ? And shall not the fore- 
thought of celestial bliss delight me ? Methinks among 
my books I could employ myself in sweet content, and bid 
the world farewell, and pity the rich and great that know 
not this happiness ; what then will my happiness in heaven 
be, where my knowledge will be perfect ! If the Queen 
of Sheba came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear 
the wisdom of Solomon, and see his glory; how cheer- 
fully should I pass from earth to heaven, to see the glory 
of the eternal Majesty, and attain the height of wisdom, 
compared with which, the most learned on earth are but 



373 

fools and idiots ! What if God had made me commanded 
of the earth ; what if I could remove mountains, heal 
diseases with a word or a touch, or cast out devils, should I 
not rejoice in such privileges and honors as these, and 
shall I not much more rejoice that my name is written in 
heaven ? I cannot here enjoy my parents, or my near 
and beloved friends, without some delight : especially when 
I did freely let out my affection to my friend, how r sweet 
was that exercise of my love ! O what will it then be to 
live in the perpetual love of God ! ' For brethren to dwell 
together in unity here, how good and how pleasant it is 1 ' 
To see a family live in love, husband and wife, parents, 
children, and servants, doing all in love to one another ; 
to see a town live together in love, without any envyings, 
brawlings, or contentions, law-suits, factions, or divisions, 
but every man loving his neighbor as himself, thinking 
they can never do too much for one another, but striving 
to go beyond each other in love ; how happy, how delight- 
ful a sight is this ! O then, what a blessed society will 
the family of heaven be, and those peaceful inhabitants of 
the New Jerusalem, where there is no division, nor differ- 
ing judgments, no disaffection nor strangeness, no deceit- 
ful friendship, no, not one unkind expression, not an angry 
look or thought ; but all are one in Christ, who is one 
with the Father, and all live in the love of him, who is 
love itself! The soul is not more where it lives, than 
where it loves. How near then will my soul be united to 
God, when I shall so heartily, strongly, and incessantly 
love him ! Ah, wretched unbelieving heart, that can 
think of such a day, and work, and life as this, with such 
low and feeble joys ! But my future enjoyments will be 
more lively. 

16. " How delightful is it to me to behold and study 
these inferior works of creation ! What a beautiful fabric 
do we here dwell in ; the floor so dressed with herbs, and 



374 

flowers, and trees, and watered with springs and rivers ; 
the roof so widely expanded, so admirably adorned ! What 
wonders do sun, moon, and stars, seas, and winds contain i 
And halh God prepared such a house for corruptible flesh, 
for a soul imprisoned ; and doth he bestow so many mil- 
lions of wonders upon his enemies 1 O what a dwelling 
must that be, which he prepares for his dearly beloved 
children ; and how will the glory of the New Jerusalem 
exceed all the present glory of the creatures ! Arise, 
then, O my soul, in thy contemplation ; and let thy 
thoughts of that glory as far exceed in sweetness thy 
thoughts of the excellencies below ! Fear not to go out 
of this body, and this world, when thou must make so 
happy a change ; but say, as one did when he was dying, 
' I am glad, and even leap for joy, that the time is come 
in which that mighty Jehovah, whose majesty in my search 
of nature I have admired, whose goodness I have adored, 
whom by faith I have desired and panted after, will now 
show himself to me face to face.' 

17. " How wonderful also are the works of Providence ! 
How delightful to see the great God interest himself in the 
safety and advancement of a few humble, praying, but 
despised persons : and to review those special mercies 
with which my own life hath been adorned and sweetened ! 
How often have my prayers been heard, my tears regarded, 
my troubled soul relieved ! How often hath my Lord bid 
me be of good cheer ! What a support are these expe- 
riences, these clear testimonies of my Father's love, to 
my fearful unbelieving heart ! O then, what a blessed day 
will that be, when I shall have all mercy, perfection of 
mercy, and fully enjoy the Lord of mercy ; when I shall 
stand on the shore, and look back on the raging seas I 
have safely passed ; when I shall review my pains and 
sorrows, my fears and tears, and possess the glory which 
was the end of all ! If one drop of lively faith was mixed 



375 

with these considerations, what a heaven-ravishing heart 
should I carry within me ! Fain would ' I believe ; Lord, 
help my unbelief! ' 

18. " How sweet, O my soul, have ordinances been to 
thee! What delight hast thou had in prayer, and thanks- 
giving, under heavenly sermons, and in the society of 
saints, and to see ' the Lord adding to the church such as 
should be saved ! ' How then can my heart conceive the 
joy, which I shall have to see the perfected church in 
heaven, and to be admitted into the celestial temple, and 
with the heavenly host praise the Lord for ever ! If the 
Word of God was sweeter to Job than his necessary food ; 
and to David than honey and the honeycomb ; and was 
the joy and rejoicing of Jeremiah's heart ; how blessed a 
day will that be, when we shall fully enjoy the Lord of 
this word, and shall no more need these written precepts 
and promises, nor read any book but the face of the glori- 
ous God ! If they that heard Christ speak on earth, were 
astonished at his wisdom and answers, and wondered at 
the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth ; how 
shall I then be affected to behold him in his majesty ! 

19. " Can the prospect of this glory make others wel- 
come the cross, and even refuse deliverance ; and cannot 
it make thee cheerful under lesser sufferings ? Can it 
sweeten the flames of martyrdom ; and not sweeten thy 
life ; or thy sickness, or thy natural death ? Is it not the 
same heaven which they and I must live in 1 Is not their 
God, their Christ, their crown, and mine, the same? And 
shall I look upon it with an eye so dim, a heart so dull, a 
countenance so dejected 1 Some small foretastes of it 
have I myself had ; and how much more delightful have 
they been, than any earthly things ever were ; and what 
then will the full enjoyment be ! 

20. " What a beauty is there here in the imperfect 



graces of the Spirit ! Alas ! how small are these to what 
we shall enjoy in our perfect state ! What a happy life 
should I here live, could I but love God as much as I 
would : could I be all love, and always loving ! O my 
soul, what wouldst thou give for such a life ? Had I such 
apprehensions of God, such knowledge of his word as I 
desire ; could I fully trust him in all my straits : could I 
be as lively as I would in every duty; could I make God 
my constant desire and delight ; I would not envy the 
world their honors or pleasures. What a blessed state, O 
my soul ! wilt thou shortly be in, when thou shalt have 
far more of these than thou canst now desire, and shalt 
exercise thy perfected graces in the immediate vision of 
God, and not in the dark, and at a distance, as now. 

21. " Is the sinning, afflicted, persecuted church of 
Christ, so much more excellent than any particular gra- 
cious soul ? What then will the church be, when it is 
fully gathered and glorified : when it is ascended from the 
valley of tears to mount Sion ; when it shall sin and suffer 
no more ! The glory of the old Jerusalem will be dark- 
ness and deformity to the glory of the new. What cause 
shall we have then to shout for joy, when we shall see 
how glorious the heavenly temple is, and remember the 
meanness of the church on earth ! 

22. "But, alas! what a loss am I at in the midst of my 
contemplations ! I thought my heart had all the while 
attended, but I see it hath not. What life is there in 
emptv thoughts and words, without affections ? Neither 
God, nor I, find pleasure in them. Where hast thou 
been, unworthy heart, while T was opening to thee the 
everlasting treasures ? Art thou not ashamed to complain 
so much of an uncomfortable life, and to murmur at God 
for filling thee with sorrows, when he in vain offers thee 
the delights of angels ? Hadst thou now but followed me 



377 

close, it would have made thee revive and leap for joy, 
and forget thy pains and sorrows. Did I think my heart 
had been so backward to rejoice ! 

23. "Lord, thou hast reserved my perfect joys for 
heaven ; therefore, help me to desire till I may possess, 
and let me long when I cannot, as I would, rejoice. O 
my soul, thou knowest, to thy sorrow, that thou art not 
yet at thy rest. When shall I arrive at that safe and quiet 
harbor, where there are none of these storms, waves, and 
dangers ; when I shall never more have a weary restless 
night or day ! Then my life will not be such a mixture 
of hope and fear, of joy and sorrow ; nor shall flesh and 
spirit be combating within me ; nor faith and unbelief, 
humility and pride, maintain a continual conflict. O when 
shall I be past these soul-tormenting fears, and cares, and 
griefs? When shall I be out of this soul-contradicting, 
insnaring, deceitful flesh ; this corruptible body, this vain, 
vexatious world 1 Alas ! that I must stand and see the 
church and cause of Christ tossed about in contention, 
and made subservient to private interests, or deluded 
fancies ! There is none of this disorder in the heavenly 
Jerusalem; there I shall find a harmonious concert of 
perfected spirits, obeying and praising their everlasting 
King. O how much better to be a door-keeper there, 
than the commander of this tumultuous world ! Why am 
I no more weary of this weariness ? Why do I so forget 
my resting-place ? Up then, O my soul, in thy most 
raised and fervent desires ! Stay not till this flesh can 
desire with thee ; expect not that sense should apprehend 
thy blessed object, and tell thee when and what to desire. 
Doth not the dullness of thy desires after rest, accuse thee 
of most detestable ingratitude and folly ? Must thy Lord 
procure thee a rest at so dear a rate, and dost thou no 
more value it ? Must he go before to prepare so glorious 
33 " 



378 

a mansion for such a wretch, and art thou loath to go and 
possess it ? Shall the Lord of glory be desirous of thy 
company, and thou not desirous of his ? Must earth be- 
come a very hell to thee, before thou art willing to be 
with God ? Behold the most lovely creature, or the most 
desirable state, and tell me where wouldst thou be, if not 
with God ? Poverty is a burden ; riches a snare ; sick- 
ness unpleasing; health unsafe; the frowning world 
bruises thy heel ; the smiling world stings thee to the 
heart : so much as the world, is loved and delighted in, 
it hurts and endangers the lover ; and if it may not be 
loved, why should it be desired ? If thou art applauded, 
it proves the most contagious breath ; if thou art vilified, 
or unkindly used, methinks this should not entice thy 
love. If thy successful labors, and thy godly friends, 
seem better to thee than a life with God, it is time for 
God to take them from thee. If thy studies have been 
sweet, have they not also been bitter ? And, at best, what 
are they to the everlasting views of the God of truth? 
Thy friends here have been thy delight ; and have they 
not also been thy vexation and grief? They are gracious, 
and are they not also sinful ? They are kind ; and are 
they not soon displeased ? They are humble, but, alas ! 
how proud also ! Their graces are sweet, and their gifts 
helpful; but are not their corruptions bitter, and their 
imperfections hurtful ? And art thou so loath to go from 
them to thy God ? 

24. "O my soul, look above this world of sorrows! 
Hast thou so long felt the smarting rod of affliction, and 
no better understood its meaning ? Is not every stroke to 
drive thee hence? Is not its voice like that to Elijah, 
* What dost thou here ? ' Dost thou forget thy Lord's pre- 
diction, ' In the world ye shall have tribulation ; in me ye 
may have peace? 5 Ah, my dear Lord, I feel thy mean- 



379 

ing ; it is written in my flesh, engraved in my bones. My 
heart thou aimest at ; thy rod drives, thy silken cord of 
love draws ; and all to bring it to thyself. Lord, can such 
a heart be worth thy having '? Make it worthy, and then 
it is thine : take it to thyself, and then take me. This 
clod hath life to stir, but not to rise. As the feeble child 
to the tender mother, it looketh up to thee, and stretcheth 
out the hands, and fain would have thee take it up. 
Though I cannot say, ' my soul longeth after thee ; ' yet I 
can say, I long for such a longing heart. ' The spirit is 
willing, the flesh is weak.' My spirit cries, ' let thy king- 
dom come/ or let me come to thy kingdom ; but the flesh 
is afraid thou shouldst hear my prayer, and take me at my 
word. O blessed be thy grace, which makes use of my 
corruptions to kill themselves ; for I fear my fears, and 
sorrow for my sorrows, and long for greater longings ; and 
thus the painful means of attaining my desires increase 
my weariness, and that makes me groan to be at rest. 

25. " Indeed, Lord, my soul itself is in a strait, and 
what to choose I know not ; but thou knowest what to 
give : 'to depart and be with thee, is far better.' But 'to 
abide in the flesh seems needful.' Thou knowest I am 
not weary of thy work, but of sorrow and sin : I am will- 
ing to stay while thou wilt employ me, and despatch the 
work thou hast put into my hands ; but, I beseech thee, 
stay no longer when this is done ; and while I must be 
here, let me be still amending and ascending ; make me 
still better, and take me at the best. I dare not be so 
impatient, as to importune thee to cut off my time, and 
snatch me hence unready ; because I know my everlasting 
state so much depends on the improvement of this life. 
Nor would I stay when my work is done ; and remain 
here sinning, while my brethren are triumphing. Thy 
footsteps bruise this worm, while those stars shine in the 



380 

firmament of glory. Yet I am thy child as well as they ; 
Christ is my head as well as theirs ; why is there then so 
great a distance ? But I acknowledge the equity of thy 
ways : though we are all children, yet I am the prodigal, 
and therefore more fit in this remote country to feed on 
husks, while they are always with thee, and possess thy 
glory. They were once themselves in my condition, and 
I shall shortly be in theirs. They were of the lowest form, 
before they came to the highest ; they suffered, before they 
reigned ; they came out of great tribulation, who are now 
before thy throne ; and shall not I be content to come to 
the crown as they did ; and to drink of their cup, before 
I sit with them in the kingdom 1 Lord, I am content to 
stay thy time, and go thy way, so thou wilt exalt me also 
in thy season, and take me into thy barn, when thou seest 
me ripe. In the mean time I may desire, though I am 
not to repine ; I may believe and wish, though not make 
any sinful haste ; I am willing to wait for thee, but not 
to lose thee ; and when thou seest me too contented with 
thine absence, then quicken my languid desires, and blow 
up the dying spark of love ; and leave me not till I am 
able unfeignedly to cry out, ' As the hart panteth after the 
water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My 
soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when "shall I 
come and appear before God? My conversation is in 
heaven, from whence I look for a Saviour. My affections 
are set on things above, where Christ sitteth, and my life 
is hid. I walk by faith, and not by sight ; willing rather 
to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord.' 

26. " What interest hath this empty world in me ; and 
what is there in it that may seem so lovely as to entice my 
desires from my God, or make me loath to come away 1 
Methinks, when I look upon it with a deliberate eye, it is 
a howling wilderness, and too many of its inhabitants are 



381 

untamed monsters. I can view all its beauty as deformity ; 
and drown all its pleasures in a few penitent tears ; or the 
wind of a sigh will scatter them away. O let not this 
flesh so seduce my soul, as to make me prefer this weary 
life before the joys that are about thy throne ! And though 
death itself be unwelcome to nature, yet let thy grace 
make thy glory appear to me so desirable, that the king 
of terrors may be the messenger of my joy. Let not my 
soul be ejected by violence, and dispossessed of its habita- 
tion against its will ; but draw it to thyself by the secret 
power of thy love, as the sunshine in the spring draws 
forth the creatures from their winter cells ; meet it half- 
way, and entice it to thee, as the loadstone doth the iron, 
and as the greater flame attracts the less ! Dispel there- 
fore the clouds that hide thy love from me ; or remove the 
scales that hinder mine eyes from beholding thee ; for the 
beams that stream from thy face, and the foretastes of thy 
great salvation, and nothing else, can make a soul unfeign- 
edly say, ' Now let thy servant depart in peace ! ' But it 
is not thy ordinary discoveries that will here suffice : as 
the work is greater, so must thy help be. O turn these 
fears into strong desires, and this loathness to die into 
longings after thee ! While I must be absent from thee, 
let my soul as heartily groan, as my body doth under its 
want of health ! If I have any more time to spend on 
earth, let me live as without the world in thee, as I have 
sometimes lived as without thee in the world ! While I 
have a thought to think, let me not forget thee ; or a 
tongue to move, let me mention thee with delight : or a 
breath to breathe, let it be after thee, and for thee ;. or a 
knee to bend, let it daily bow at thy footstool ; and when 
by sickness thou confinest me, do thou ' make my bed, 
number my pains, and put all my tears into thy bottle ! ' 
27. " As my flesh desired what my spirit abhorred, so. 
33* 



8r: 

now let my spirit desire that day which my flesh abhorreth; 
that my friends may not with so much sorrow wait for the 
departure of my soul, as my soul with joy shall wait for its 
own departure ! Then •' let me die the death of the 
righteous., and letmylast end be like his :'" even a removal 
to that glory which shall never end ! Then let thy con- 
voy of angels bring my departing soul among the perfected 
spirits of the just, and let me follow my dear friends that 
have died in Christ before me ; and while my sorrow- 
ing friends are weeping over my grave, let my spirit be 
reposed with thee in rest ; and while my corpse shall lie 
rotting in the dark, let my soul be in ' the inheritance of 
the saints in light ! ; O thou that numberest the very 
hairs of my head, number all the days that my body lies 
in the dust : and thou that • writest all my members in thy 
book.' keep an account of my scattered bones ! O my 
Saviour, hasten the time of thy return: send forth thy 
angels, and let that dreadful joyful trumpet sound ! Delay 
not, lest the living give up their hopes : delay not. lest 
earth should grow like hell, and thy church, by division. 
be all crumbled to dust ; delay not, lest thy enemies get 
advantage of thy flock, and lest pride, hypocrisy, sensuality, 
and unbelief prevail against thy little remnant, and share 
among them thy whole inheritance, and when thou comest 
thou rind not faith on the earth ; delay not, lest the grave 
should boast of victory, and having learned rebellion of its 
guest, should refuse to deliver thee up thy due ! O hasten 
that great resurrection-day, when thy command shall go 
forth, and none shall disobey ; when ' the sea and the 
earth shall yield up their hostages, and all that sleep in 
the grave shall awake, and the dead in Christ shall rise 
first : : when the seed which thou sowest corruptible, shall 
come forth incorruptible ; and graves that received rotten- 
ness and dust, shall return thee glorious stars and sun 






383 

Therefore dare I lay down my carcass in the dust, intrust- 
ing it, not to a grave, but to thee ; and therefore my flesh 
shall rest in hope, till thou shalt raise it to the possession 
of everlasting rest. ' Return, O Lord ; how long % O let 
thy kingdom come ! ' Thy desolate bride saith, Come ! 
for thy spirit within her saith, Come ; and teacheth her 
thus to ' pray with groanings which cannot be uttered ; ' 
yea, the whole creation saith, Come, waiting to be deliv- 
ered from the bondage of corruption, into the glorious 
liberty of the children of God. Thou thyself hast said, 
' Surely I come quickly. 5 Amen. Even so, come, Lord 
Jesus ! " 

CONCLUSION. 

28. Thus, Reader, I have given thee my best advice 
for maintaining a heavenly conversation. If thou canst 
not thus meditate methodically and fully, yet do it as thou 
canst; only be sure to do it seriously and frequently. Be 
acquainted with this heavenly work, and thou wilt, in 
some degree, be acquainted with God ; thy joys will be 
spiritual, prevalent, and lasting, according to the nature of 
their blessed object; thou wilt have comfort in life and 
death. When thou hast neither wealth, nor health, nor 
the pleasures of this world, yet wilt thou have comfort. 
Without the presence, or help of any friend, without a 
minister, without a book, when all means are denied thee, 
or taken from thee, yet mayest thou have vigorous, real 
comfort. Thy graces will be mighty, active, and victo- 
rious ; and the daily joy, which is thus fetched from 
heaven, will be thy strength. Thou wilt be as one that 
stands on the top of an exceeding high mountain ; he 
looks down on the world as if it were quite below him ; 
fields and woods, cities and towns, seem to him but little 



3&4 

spots. Thus despicably wilt thou look on all things here 
below. The greatest princes will seem but as grass- 
hoppers ; the busy, contentious, covetous world, but as a 
heap of ants. Men's threatenings will be no terror to 
thee ; nor the honors of this world any strong enticement; 
temptations will be more harmless, as having lost their 
strength ; and afflictions less grievous, as having lost their 
sting : and every mercy will be better known and relished. 
It is now, under God, in thy own choice, whether thou 
wilt live this blessed life or not ; and whether all this pains 
I have taken for thee shall prosper, or be lost. If it be 
lost through thy laziness, thou thyself wilt prove the great- 
est loser. O man ! what hast thou to mind but God and 
heaven 1 Art thou not almost out of this world already ? 
Dost thou not look every day, when one disease or other 
will let out thy soul ? Does not the grave wait to be thine 
house ; and worms to feed upon thy face and heart ? 
What if thy pulse must beat a few strokes more ? What 
if thou hast a little longer to breathe, before thou breathe 
out thy last ; a few more nights to sleep, before thou sleep- 
est in the dust? Alas ! what will this be, when it is gone? 
And is it not almost gone already ? Very shortly thou 
wilt see thy glass run out, and say to thyself, " My life is 
done ! My time is gone ! It is past recalling ! There is 
nothing now but heaven or hell before me ! " Where 
then shouldst thy heart be now, but in heaven? Didst 
thou know what a dreadful thing it is, to have a doubt of 
heaven when a man is dying, it would rouse thee up. 
And what else but doubt can that man then do, that 
never seriously thought of heaven before ? 

29. Some there be that say, " It is not worth so much 
time and trouble, to think of the greatness of the joys 
above ; so that we can make sure they are ours, we know 
they are great." But as these men obey not the command 



385 

of God, which requires them to have their " conversation 
in heaven, and to set their affections on things above ; " 
so they wilfully make their own lives miserable, by re- 
fusing the delights which God hath set before them. And 
if this were all, it were a small matter ; but see what 
abundance of other mischiefs follow the neglect of these 
heavenly delights. This neglect — will damp, if not de- 
stroy their love to God, — will make it unpleasant to them 
to think or speak of God, or engage in his service, — it 
tends to pervert their judgments concerning the ways and 
ordinances of God, — it makes them sensual and volup- 
tuous, — it leaves them under the power of every affliction 
and temptation, and is a preparative to total apostacy,-— it 
will also make them fearful and unwilling to die. For 
who would go to a God or a place he hath no delight in ? 
Who would leave his pleasure here, if he had not better 
to go to 1 Had I only proposed a course of melancholy 
and fear, and sorrow, you might reasonably have objected. 
But you must have heavenly delights, or none that are 
lasting. God is willing you should daily walk with him, 
and fetch in consolations from the everlasting fountain : if 
jou are unwilling, even bear the loss ; and when you are 
dying, seek for comfort where you can get it, and see 
whether fleshly delights will remain with you ; then con- 
science will remember, in spite of you, that you was once 
persuaded to a way for more excellent pleasures, — 
pleasures that would have followed you through death, 
and have lasted to eternity. 

30. As for you, whose hearts God hath weaned from all 
things here below, I hope you will value this heavenly life, 
and take one walk every day in the new Jerusalem. God 
is your love and your desire ; you would fain be more 
acquainted with your Saviour; and I know it is your 
grief, that your hearts are not nearer to him, and that they 



386 

do not more feelingly love him, and delight in him. O 
try this life of meditation on your heavenly rest ! Here 
is the mount, on which the fluctuating ark of your souls 
may rest. Let the world see, by your heavenly lives, that 
religion is something more than opinions and disputes, or 
a talk of outward duties. If ever a Christian is like him- 
self, and answerable to his principles and profession, it is 
when he is most serious and lively in this duty. As 
Moses, before he died, went up into Mount Nebo, to take 
a survey of the land of Canaan ; so the Christian ascends 
the mount of contemplation, and by faith surveys his rest. 
He looks upon the glorious mansions, and says, " Glorious 
things are " deservedly " spoken of thee, thou city of 
God ! " He hears, as it were, the melody of the heavenly 
choir, and says, " Happy is the people that are in such a 
case ; yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord!" 
He looks upon the glorified inhabitants, and says, " Happy 
art thou, O Israel ; who is like unto thee, O people, saved 
by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword 
of thine excellency ! When he looks upon the Lord 
himself, who is their glory, he is ready with the rest, to 
" fall down and worship him, that liveth for ever and ever, 
and say, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, 
and is, and is to come ! Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive 
glory, and honor, and power ! " When he looks on the 
glorified Saviour, he is ready to say, Amen, to that new- 
song, " Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be 
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb 
for ever and ever. For thou wast slain, and hast re- 
deemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and 
tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made us, unto 
our God, kings and priests ! " When he looks back on 
the wilderness of this world, he blesses the believing, 
patient, despised saints ; he pities the ignorant, obstinate, 



387 

miserable, world ; and for himself, he says, as Peter, " It 
is good to be here ; " or as Asaph, " It is good for me to 
draw near to God: for, lo, they that are far from thee 
shall perish." Thus, as Daniel, in his captivity daily 
opened his window towards Jerusalem, though far out of 
sight, when he went to God in his devotions ; so may the 
believing soul, in this capacity of the flesh, look towards 
" Jerusalem, which is above." And as Paul was to the 
Colossians, so may the believer be with the glorified 
spirits, though absent in the flesh, yet with them in the 
spirit, joying and beholding their heavenly order. And 
as the lark sweetly sings, while she soars on high, but is 
suddenly silenced when she falls to the earth ; so is the 
frame of the soul most delightful and divine, while it keeps 
in the views of God by contemplation. Alas, we make 
there too short a stay ; fall down again, and lay by our 
music ! 

31. But, " O thou, the merciful Father of spirits, the 
attractive of love, and ocean of delights, draw up these 
drossy hearts unto thyself, and keep them there till they 
are spiritualized and refined ; and second thy servant's 
weak endeavors, and persuade those that read these lines 
to the practice of this delightful, heavenly work ! O 
suffer not the soul of thy most unworthy servant to be a 
stranger to those joys, which he describes to others ; but 
keep me, while I remain on earth, in daily breathings 
after thee, and in a believing, affectionate walking with 
thee ! And when thou comest, let me be found so doing : 
not serving my flesh, nor asleep with my lamp unfur- 
nished ; but waiting and longing for my Lord's return ! 
Let those who shall read these heavenly directions, not 
merely read the fruit of my studies, but the breathing of 
my active hope and love : that, if my heart were open to 
their view, they might there read the same most deeply 



388 

engraven with a beam from the face of the Son of God ; 
and not find vanity, or lust, or pride within, when the 
words of life appear without ; that so these lines may not 
witness against me ; but proceeding from the heart of the 
writer, may be effectual, through thy grace, upon the 
heart of the reader, and so be the savor of life to both ! 
Amen." 

" Glory be to God in the highest ; on earth peace ; 
good- will towards men." 



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